Walk down almost any older street in Lock Haven and you will see the lumber boom still standing: two- and three-story Greek Revival, Gothic Revival and Italianate homes, many with their original staircases. The same goes for the National Register Water Street District, where 19th- and 20th-century buildings sit side by side. Those stairs were built for a different era, and for many families they are now the one thing standing between a parent and the bedroom upstairs.
Clinton County covers 31 towns, from Lock Haven and Mill Hall to Renovo, South Renovo, Beech Creek, Loganton and Woolrich. About 19.9 percent of the county's 41,752 residents are 65 or older, and 73.8 percent own their homes. This page walks through which kind of stair lift tends to fit local houses and which programs can help pay for one.
The large homes built in Lock Haven during the lumber years, like the Fallon House hotel and other big houses from 1854 to 1856, were designed around tall, formal staircases. When a staircase runs in one straight flight, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest install. It rides a rail bolted to the stair treads, not the wall, so original plaster and woodwork stay intact.
Many Victorian-era homes, the kind you can tour at the Heisey House museum, have stairs that turn at a landing or curve partway up. Those need a curved rail made to fit that exact staircase. We measure every turn before anything is ordered, which is why a home visit comes first.
Outside the old downtown, Clinton County housing includes single-family homes, townhouses, split-level homes and ranch-style homes. A split-level often has two short flights instead of one long one, and each flight may need its own lift or a single curved rail that links them.
Ranch-style homes keep most living space on one floor, but the stairs to a basement laundry or the steps at the entry can still be a daily problem. Townhouses tend to have one straight flight between floors, which usually suits a straight lift. Walk-up apartments are harder, since the stairs are often shared space and the building owner has to agree to any install.
Lock Haven sits at about 561 feet, where Bald Eagle Creek meets the West Branch Susquehanna River, with Bald Eagle Mountain running alongside the creek. The town flooded hard in 1889 at 29.8 feet, in 1936 at 32.3 feet, and in 1972 during Hurricane Agnes at 31.3 feet. A federal levee and flood-wall system was finished in 1995.
That history pushed a lot of living space up to raised and upper floors. If the problem is the steps outside the front door, an outdoor stair lift built for weather is one option. For someone who uses a wheelchair, a platform lift that carries the chair itself may be the better fit than a seat.
Median household income in the county is about $43,000 for 2018-2022, and about 25 percent of Lock Haven residents live below the poverty line. Many families here lean on public programs rather than paying out of pocket, and several can help.
Community HealthChoices is the program that lists stair glides directly, as home accessibility equipment for people who qualify for Medicaid and need a nursing facility level of care. For anyone 60 or older, the STEP Office of Aging is the place to start, since it runs the assessment for the OPTIONS Program and can point you to other funders. Jay Street in Lock Haven, (570) 893-4339, can help with the paperwork.
Homeowners with lower incomes can also ask about the county CDBG rehab program and SEDA-COG's rehab program, which fund accessibility improvements. Each program is summarized below.
Pennsylvania's Medicaid long-term services program covers removable stair glides and wheelchair lifts, installation included, when medically necessary to get in and out of the home or handle daily activities, for adults 21+ who meet Medicaid financial rules and a nursing facility level of care. Call (800) 757-5042.
A state in-home services program for people 60+ with unmet daily needs, with no income cap but a possible sliding-scale co-payment; it includes home adaptations for safety and accessibility, though the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call (717) 783-1550 or apply through the local Area Agency on Aging.
The county Area Agency on Aging for residents 60+ does the needs assessment for OPTIONS, arranges services and refers people to CHC and housing-rehab programs; whether it pays for stair lifts is unknown. Call (570) 858-5800, or the Williamsport office at 2138 Lincoln St. at (570) 326-0587.
A nonprofit serving people with disabilities of any age in Clinton County that helps with assessments, referrals and getting home-modification and waiver funding; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source. Call (570) 327-9070.
Federal grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026; a stair lift may be covered as part of an approved adaptation plan. Call (877) 827-3702.
Rehab funding for owner-occupied single-family homes, including accessibility improvements, mainly for low- and moderate-income households; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source and funding varies by year. Call (570) 893-4080.
A no- or low-cost rehab program for income-qualified owner-occupants in Clinton County that covers code, safety and accessibility work; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source. Call (570) 524-4491.
A volunteer-built program for income-qualified homeowners that serves Clinton County with ramps, grab bars and safety repairs. It does not cover powered stair lifts, but a ramp may solve an entry-step problem.
Older adults
2138 Lincoln St., Williamsport, 17701
Veterans
217 N. Jay Street, Lock Haven, 17745
In most cases, yes. The rail mounts to the stair treads rather than the walls, so original woodwork is left alone. Straight staircases take a straight lift, while stairs that turn or curve need a curved rail made to measure.
Community HealthChoices covers removable stair glides as home accessibility equipment when they are medically necessary, with installation included. You must be 21 or older, financially eligible for Medicaid and assessed as needing a nursing facility level of care. The number is (800) 757-5042.
The OPTIONS Program has no income cap, though a sliding-scale co-payment may apply, and it includes home adaptations for safety and accessibility. Start with the STEP Office of Aging at (570) 858-5800, which does the assessment.
Roads to Freedom Center for Independent Living serves people with disabilities of any age in Clinton County and helps them reach home-modification and waiver funding. Community HealthChoices starts at age 21. Call Roads to Freedom at (570) 327-9070.
The Clinton County Office of Veterans Affairs is at 217 N. Jay Street in Lock Haven, (570) 893-4339. Veterans with a qualifying service-connected disability may get a stair lift through an approved SAH or SHA grant plan; the VA line is (877) 827-3702.
No. The regional Habitat affiliate builds ramps, adds grab bars and does safety repairs, but not powered stair lifts. If the trouble is only the front steps, a ramp from Habitat may still be worth asking about.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
