Marlboro County was founded in 1785, and much of its housing still shows that age. In Bennettsville, the county seat, the historic district grew up around the Marlboro County Courthouse, designed by Robert Mills and built 1820-1824. Many homes there and in McColl, Wallace and Clio were built long before anyone thought about accessible design.
That matters when a parent starts having trouble with the stairs. Older, largely unrenovated homes often need a retrofit-style install that works around original staircases, trim and narrow landings. This page walks through what that looks like here and where to look for help paying for it.
The county's housing stock is older and has seen limited new construction. In historic Bennettsville houses, stairs can be steep or tight, and the rail has to mount to the stair treads without disturbing original walls. A good measurement visit checks the tread depth, the landing space at top and bottom, and whether the staircase turns.
A straight staircase usually takes a straight rail, which is the simplest and quickest option. Stairs that curve, turn at a landing or split partway up need a curved rail built to fit that exact staircase.
Not every home here is a big old two-story. The county also has split-level homes, townhouses and walk-up apartments, and each one raises its own questions. A split-level may have two short flights, which sometimes means two separate straight lifts instead of one curved one.
Townhouses often have a straight inside staircase that suits a standard lift. In a walk-up apartment, the stairs may be shared, so the building owner usually needs to agree before anything is installed.
Marlboro County sits in the Pee Dee region along the North Carolina line, and its 485.46 square miles are mostly flat, with the Great Pee Dee River running through. Flat land does not mean a step-free entrance, though. Many older single-family homes and detached houses sit up on raised porches, and an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle those entry steps.
About 65.2% of residents live in rural areas. Homes outside Bennettsville can be a long drive from town, so it helps to plan the measurement visit and the install together and to ask how service calls are handled in outlying areas.
About 19.3% of Marlboro County residents are 65 or older, and many of them live in the homes they have owned for decades. For a lot of families, a stair lift is what lets a parent keep using the upstairs bedroom and bath instead of moving.
That is worth knowing, because several of the strongest funding sources for stair lifts come through the VA for veterans with a service-connected disability.
Start with the VA if anyone in the household is a veteran. The SAH, SHA and TRA grants listed below can cover home modifications, and a stair lift falls under that scope on a case-by-case review. The local Veterans' Affairs Office is at 300 West Main Street in Bennettsville, (843) 479-5622, and can help with the paperwork.
For older residents who are not veterans, the Pee Dee AAA (Vantage Point) at 216 South 2nd Street in Hartsville, (843) 383-8632, is the place to ask about Minor Home Repair and home devices. Statewide options to ask about include the SC Community Choices Waiver (Medicaid HCBS), the South Carolina Assistive Technology Loan Program and the South Carolina Homestead Exemption (Property-Tax Relief).
A federal VA grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026 cap) to buy, build or modify a home for veterans or service members with a qualifying service-connected disability, such as loss or loss of use of both lower extremities; stair lifts are covered on a case-by-case VA review. Call the VA at (800) 827-1000.
A federal VA grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026 cap) with the same home-modification scope as SAH, including stair lifts, for qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands; the veteran or a family member must own the home. Call (800) 827-1000.
Covers adaptations, including stair lifts, to a family member's home where an SAH- or SHA-eligible veteran is living temporarily, up to $50,961 for SAH-eligible or $9,100 for SHA-eligible veterans. Call (800) 827-1000.
An Older Americans Act program for people generally 60 and older that offers Minor Home Repair and home devices; the source does not mention stair lifts, so treat it as a possible partial-cost or referral source. Call (800) 868-9095 or the Pee Dee AAA (Vantage Point) at (843) 383-8632 to confirm what is available in Marlboro County.
Older adults
216 South 2nd Street, Hartsville, 29551
Veterans
300 West Main Street, Bennettsville, 29512
Usually, yes. The rail mounts to the stair treads rather than the wall, which suits older homes built before accessible design. A measurement visit confirms whether the staircase needs a straight or a curved rail.
These towns are part of Marlboro County, which is largely rural, so travel between Bennettsville and outlying communities is part of the job. Ask when you call how the home visit and install will be scheduled for your address.
The aging services program generally starts at age 60. Veterans with a qualifying service-connected disability can apply for VA grants at any age. Call the VA at (800) 827-1000 or the Veterans' Affairs Office in Bennettsville at (843) 479-5622.
Possibly, through the VA Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant, if he is SAH- or SHA-eligible. It covers adaptations to a family member's home where the veteran is living temporarily.
The Pee Dee AAA (Vantage Point) at 216 South 2nd Street in Hartsville, (843) 383-8632. You can also call the SC Department on Aging at (800) 868-9095 to be routed to your local agency.
Yes. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle entry steps on a raised porch. Which one fits depends on the number of steps, the space at the top and bottom, and who will be using it.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
