Archer County covers about 900 square miles of rolling red plains and cross timbers south-southwest of Wichita Falls, with six towns spread across it: Holliday, Archer City, Lakeside City, Scotland, Windthorst and Megargel. Back in 1880, only 596 residents lived across 53 ranches and farms, and that spread-out pattern still shapes how people live here.
Most homes in the county are single-family houses, ranch-style homes and manufactured homes, much of it older housing built without accessibility in mind. If you or a parent are finding the steps harder to manage, this page walks through what kind of lift fits these homes and which programs are worth a phone call.
Early homes here were modest and largely single-story, and a lot of today's ranch-style houses follow that same layout. In a one-story home, the problem is often not an indoor staircase at all. It is the steps up to the front door, the back porch or the garage entry.
For those spots, an outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift is usually the better fit. A platform lift also works when someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat.
Where a house does have an indoor staircase, a straight run takes a straight stair lift, which is the simplest install. Stairs that turn or have a landing need a curved lift built to the shape of the staircase.
Manufactured homes sit up off the ground, so getting in and out usually means climbing a set of exterior steps. That is where we look first during a home visit.
An outdoor lift has to handle Texas weather, so we check the steps, the footing and the power source before recommending one. In some cases a ramp makes more sense, and we will say so.
About 16.4 percent of Archer County residents are 65 or older, and 82.5 percent of households own their home. For many longtime owners, staying put on the ranch or in town is the goal, and a lift is one way to make that workable.
That matters because several VA programs and the Archer County Veterans Service Office can help with home changes, though rules on stair lifts vary by program.
Because the county is rural and spread out, residents typically travel to Wichita Falls for medical care, home-modification contractors and other accessibility services. Planning a lift often starts with a doctor's visit there, since several programs want a medical professional involved.
The Area Agency on Aging of North Texas is also based in Wichita Falls, at 4309 Jacksboro Highway, and serves Archer County residents 60 and older.
No program listed here names stair lifts as a covered item, so expect to ask questions and push for case-by-case answers. The Texas STAR+PLUS and CLASS waivers, the USDA Section 504 program and the VA SAH and SHA grants all pay for home modifications in some form.
One program is clear: the VA HISA grant excludes porch lifts and stair glides. Veterans should still talk with the Archer County Veterans Service Office at (940) 574-4700 about other VA options.
Statewide, the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program (AYBR) is another name to ask about. The Area Agency on Aging of North Texas at (940) 322-5281 is a good first call to sort out which program fits.
A Medicaid waiver that pays for minor home modifications up to a $7,500 lifetime limit for members who need nursing facility level of care; stair lifts are not listed, so coverage would need case-by-case approval through your service coordinator. Call (877) 438-5658.
A Medicaid waiver for people with a related condition that began before age 22, with a $10,000 lifetime limit for minor home modifications. Its itemized lists include ramps and grab bars but do not mention stair lifts.
Offers information, referral, care coordination, benefits counseling and caregiver support to adults 60 and older in Archer County and nearby counties; it does not list a stair lift program but can point you to one. Call (940) 322-5281.
A nonprofit that builds free wheelchair ramps for low-income older adults and people with disabilities referred by a health care provider or social worker; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (214) 558-0339.
Offers very-low-income rural homeowners loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest and grants up to $10,000 for those 62 and older who cannot repay a loan, and all of Archer County qualifies as rural. Ramps and grab bars are named as covered items, but stair lifts are not.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary changes to a veteran's home. It does not cover stair lifts, since porch lifts and stair glides are specifically excluded.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities to adapt a home they own or plan to own. Stair lifts are not named, so ask whether one can fit into an approved adaptation plan.
Older adults
4309 Jacksboro Highway, Wichita Falls, 76302
Veterans
3rd Floor, Archer County Courthouse, 100 S Center St, Archer City, 76351
Often the trouble spot in a single-story home is the entry steps or porch. An outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift can handle those, and a ramp is sometimes the better answer.
Yes, exterior steps on manufactured homes are a common place for an outdoor lift or platform lift. We look at the steps, footing and power before recommending one.
The VA HISA grant specifically excludes porch lifts and stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way, so contact the Archer County Veterans Service Office in Archer City at (940) 574-4700 to ask about your situation.
The Area Agency on Aging of North Texas serves adults 60 and older. Younger adults may look at the STAR+PLUS waiver, which starts at age 21, or the CLASS waiver for people with a related condition that began before age 22.
All of Archer County qualifies as rural for the USDA Section 504 program. You also need to own and live in the home and have income at or below 50% of area median income, and stair lifts are not named as a covered item.
The Area Agency on Aging of North Texas in Wichita Falls at (940) 322-5281 can help sort out benefits and referrals. Veterans can also call the Archer County Veterans Service Office at (940) 574-4700.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
