From the historic core around the town square in Abbeville to farmhouses outside Donalds and Antreville, a lot of homes in Abbeville County were built on sloped Piedmont lots. That slope often means a set of entry steps before you even reach the front door, and sometimes a second flight inside to reach the bedrooms.
Families in Calhoun Falls, Due West, Lake Secession and the rest of the county's 6 towns call us with the same question: can a stair lift work in this house, and is there any help paying for it? This page walks through what we see in local homes and the programs worth calling first.
The county was first settled in the mid-18th century by Scotch-Irish and French Huguenot farmers, and the town of Abbeville still has many older, often multi-story homes. Older staircases in these houses can be narrow or turn at a landing, so we measure every one before recommending anything.
A straight staircase with no turns is the simplest fit and usually the quickest install. If the stairs curve or stop at a landing, a curved rail is built to follow that exact path.
Split-level homes are common here too. With short flights going up and down from the entry, the right answer is sometimes one lift on the flight used most, not every flight in the house.
Abbeville County covers about 511.74 square miles of hilly, wooded, largely rural land, with Lake Russell, Lake Secession, part of Sumter National Forest and Calhoun Falls State Park. Homes on that kind of ground often sit above the driveway with a long run of porch or entry steps.
For those steps, an outdoor stair lift built to handle weather is one option. When someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is usually the better fit, and a ramp may also be worth comparing if the yard has room for one.
Ranch-style homes can look like they have no stairs at all, but many have a few steps at the front or back door. Those short climbs are often where a fall happens.
About 20.6% of county residents are 65 or older, and 58.9% own their homes. For an owner planning to stay put, a lift is a permanent change to a house they control, which keeps the decision simple.
Renters, including people in walk-up apartments, will need the landlord's written approval before any rail goes on the wall. We can talk through the options with both of you.
If that includes someone in your family, the Abbeville County Veterans Affairs Office at 903 West Greenwood Street, Suite 1600, Abbeville, (864) 366-2608, is a good place to start on VA benefits.
None of the programs below names stair lifts as a confirmed covered item, and one VA grant rules them out. Still, several fund home repairs or accessibility changes, so it is worth calling and asking directly what they can pay for in your case.
For people 60 and older, the Upper Savannah AAA in Greenwood is the local Area Agency on Aging and can explain home safety and in-home services. Medicaid waiver participants, very-low-income rural homeowners and veterans each have separate paths, listed in the programs section.
Statewide, families can also look into the South Carolina Assistive Technology Loan Program and the South Carolina Homestead Exemption (Property-Tax Relief), which can lower costs elsewhere in the household budget.
Active Community Choices Medicaid waiver participants can get home modifications needed for health, safety and independence, with a $7,500 per participant lifetime cap. Stair lifts are not confirmed on the state's approved list, so ask before planning on it; call (888) 549-0820.
Serves residents 60 and older in Abbeville and five nearby counties with services that include home care, personal care and home safety, though stair lifts are not named. Call (864) 941-8050 to ask what an intake can fund.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can borrow up to $40,000 at 1% interest over 20 years, and owners 62 or older who cannot repay a loan may get grants up to $10,000 to remove health and safety hazards. Stair lifts are not named as an eligible use; call (803) 881-7080.
The City of Abbeville points residents to the 504 Home Repair program run from the Anderson, SC office, with grants for elderly, very-low-income homeowners who cannot repay a loan. Stair lifts are not addressed; call Kimberly Newman at (864) 844-8225.
Provides a $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime benefit for home modifications for qualifying veterans and servicemembers. It does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides and porch lifts are specifically excluded.
Offers up to $126,526 (FY2026 maximum) for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities affecting mobility to buy, build or structurally modify a home. Stair lifts are not named as covered or excluded.
Offers up to $25,350 (FY2026 maximum) for home accessibility changes for veterans with qualifying service-connected loss of use of both hands or certain burn or respiratory injuries. Stair lifts are not named as covered or excluded.
Older adults
430 Helix Road, Greenwood, 29646
Veterans
903 West Greenwood Street, Suite 1600, Abbeville, 29620
Yes, curved stairs and stairs that turn at a landing use a custom rail made to follow the steps. Older multi-story homes in the town of Abbeville often need this, so we measure the staircase first.
An outdoor stair lift can handle exterior entry steps. If the person uses a wheelchair and cannot move to a seat, a platform lift or a ramp is usually the better choice.
The Upper Savannah AAA serves Abbeville County residents 60 and older. In-home services generally require limits in at least two activities of daily living. The office is at 430 Helix Road in Greenwood, (864) 941-8069.
The VA HISA grant does not, because it excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants fund home accessibility changes but do not name stair lifts either way, so ask the Abbeville County Veterans Affairs Office at (864) 366-2608.
Abbeville County qualifies as rural for USDA Section 504 loans and grants. Grants up to $10,000 go to owners 62 or older who cannot repay a loan, and the local contact through the City of Abbeville is (864) 844-8225.
Community Choices waiver participants can get home modifications up to a $7,500 lifetime cap, but stair lifts are not confirmed as an approved item. Call (888) 549-0820 to ask about your situation.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
