In Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg, a lot of the stairs we see were built before World War II. Victorian-era homes and pre-war neighborhoods still have their original staircases, often narrow, steep and climbing two or three stories to the bedrooms and baths.
Out past the boroughs, in places like Tobyhanna, Pocono Pines, Saylorsburg and Brodheadsville, the challenge changes. Homes are set into hillsides, so split-levels and outside steps are common. This page walks through what each kind of Monroe County home means for a stair lift and which local programs can help cover the cost.
Monroe County has 22 properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places, and many older homes in Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg keep the stairs they were built with. A straight run from the first floor to the second is the simplest case. A straight stair lift mounts to the treads, not the wall, so plaster and woodwork stay intact.
Victorian-era stairs often turn at a landing or wind near the top. Those need a curved lift with a rail made to fit that exact staircase. In a three-story house, a second lift for the upper flight is sometimes the practical answer, so we measure every flight before recommending anything.
The Pocono Mountains terrain, running down to the Delaware Water Gap, means many homes are built into grades. That produces split-level homes with short flights between levels, plus exterior stairs from the driveway or the yard up to the front door.
Short split-level flights can each take their own straight lift. Outside steps call for an outdoor-rated lift built to handle weather. Where someone uses a wheelchair, a platform lift can be a better fit than a seat, especially at an entry. In communities like Penn Estates, Emerald Lakes and Indian Mountain Lake, the outside approach is often as much of a barrier as the inside stairs.
Not every household in the county lives in a detached house. Townhouses usually have one straight interior flight, which is often a good candidate for a straight lift. Walk-up apartments raise a different question, because the stairs belong to the building.
If you rent, talk with your landlord before anything else. The Community HealthChoices waiver, for example, allows renters to qualify for home adaptations with landlord permission.
About 18.4% of county residents are 65 or older, and 80.9% own their homes. That is a lot of people living in houses they plan to keep, often with bedrooms upstairs. The county is also a Pocono retiree and second-home destination, so many owners are aging in houses they bought years ago.
If that includes you or your parent, the VA grants listed below and the Monroe County Veterans Affairs office in Stroudsburg are worth a call before you pay out of pocket.
Start with the Monroe County Area Agency on Aging at (570) 420-3735, located at 724 Phillips St. Suite 102, Stroudsburg 18360. For residents 60 and older, it is the local intake point for the OPTIONS Program and connects people to the Community HealthChoices waiver and home-modification services.
The Community HealthChoices waiver is the only program in this list that specifically names stair lifts as covered, through its Home Accessibility Durable Medical Equipment benefit. The county housing rehabilitation loan, MyCIL and the VA grants fund home modifications in general, so ask each one directly whether a stair lift fits their rules. The programs below include phone numbers for each.
A Medicaid home and community-based services waiver that covers stair lifts, approved case by case through your person-centered service plan for Medicaid-eligible adults who meet a nursing-facility level of care. Your CHC service coordinator adds the equipment to the plan; call (844) 824-3655.
A state-funded in-home services program for Pennsylvania residents 60 or older with unmet daily needs, with no income cap but a possible sliding-scale copay. It offers supplemental home-modification services, though the source does not mention stair lifts; call (717) 783-1550 or the county AAA.
The county's intake and assessment office for residents 60 and older, connecting people to OPTIONS, the CHC waiver and home-modification services rather than giving grants directly. Whether it covers stair lifts is unknown; call (570) 420-3735.
A nonprofit center offering home-modification and barrier-removal services to people with disabilities in a 10-county area that includes Monroe; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source. Call (570) 344-7211.
A 0% interest deferred-payment loan for income-eligible owners who have lived in their single-family home for 12+ months, forgiven 1/7 each year over 7 years with no monthly payments. Stair lifts are not listed in the source; call (570) 421-4300.
Federal grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities to make permanent accessibility adaptations, with FY2026 limits of up to $126,526 (SAH) and up to $25,350 (SHA). Stair lifts are not listed in the source; call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
724 Phillips St. Suite 102, Stroudsburg, 18360
Veterans
One Quaker Plaza, Room 101, Stroudsburg, 18360
It can through the Community HealthChoices waiver, which lists stair lifts as covered. You must be Medicaid-eligible, meet a nursing-facility level of care and be enrolled in CHC, and your service coordinator has to add the lift to your service plan. The number is (844) 824-3655.
The OPTIONS Program and the Area Agency on Aging serve people 60 and older. Community HealthChoices starts at age 21 (18 for the LTSS/waiver pathway), and MyCIL serves people with disabilities at (570) 344-7211.
Call the Monroe County Area Agency on Aging at (570) 420-3735. The office is at 724 Phillips St. Suite 102, Stroudsburg 18360, and it handles assessments for OPTIONS and connects seniors to CHC waiver services.
It is a 0% interest deferred-payment loan forgiven 1/7 each year over 7 years, with no monthly payments. A balance is due only if you sell or transfer the home during that period. Income must be at or below 80% AMI, from $58,450 for one person up to $110,250 for eight; call (570) 421-4300.
Outdoor stair lifts are built for exterior steps, and a platform lift is an option where a wheelchair is involved. Hillside homes around the Poconos often need a look at both the inside and outside stairs before choosing.
Contact Monroe County Veterans Affairs at (570) 517-3187, One Quaker Plaza, Room 101, Stroudsburg 18360. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities can also ask the VA at (800) 827-1000 about SAH and SHA grants.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
