Crockett has been the Houston County seat for a long time, and the Handbook of Texas notes its "many old homes." With landmarks like Crockett Academy, built around 1855, and an opera house finished by 1885, parts of town hold houses that were never planned with an aging owner in mind. Out in Grapeland, Lovelady, Kennard and Latexo, the homes are newer in places but the stairs and entry steps are just as real.
This page walks through how the homes and the land here shape the choice between a straight, curved, outdoor or platform lift. It also lays out the programs that may help with cost, so you can make phone calls before anyone measures a single step.
Older homes often have narrow staircases, landings that turn, or steps that change height partway up. A straight stair lift is the simplest fit when the run goes top to bottom with no turn. If the stairs bend at a landing, a curved rail built to that staircase is usually the answer.
Before you settle on anything, measure the stair width and note any turns, doorways at the top or bottom, and where the nearest outlet is. Those details decide which lift will work far more than the age of the house does.
Housing across the county runs from single-family and detached houses to ranch-style, split-level and manufactured homes. A ranch-style home may have everything on one floor, but the trouble is often the steps up to the porch or back door. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle that entry.
Split-level homes put short flights between levels, and each flight may need its own look. Manufactured homes usually sit up off the ground, so the entry steps outside are often the main barrier. Outdoor lifts are built for weather, which matters in a county covered in pine and hardwood with plenty of rain on the steps.
Houston County covers 1,234 square miles of gently rolling to hilly ground between the Neches River to the northeast and the Trinity River to the west. Outside Crockett the county is mostly rural. Many homeowners live a real drive from equipment installers and contractors based in Lufkin or Nacogdoches.
That distance is worth planning around. Ask how service visits and repairs will be handled before you buy, and try to group the measurement, any program paperwork and the install so fewer trips are needed. Sloped yards can also affect where an outdoor lift can sit, so walk the path from the driveway to the door with the installer.
Around 50.1% are homeowners, which matters because some programs require that you own the home and others do not.
If you rent, ask your landlord before planning any install, and check the eligibility rules below. A few programs apply to rented homes or homes owned by a family member.
The local economy has long rested on livestock, timber, and oil and gas, and paying out of pocket is not easy for every household. Several public and nonprofit programs are worth a call, though none of the sources reviewed names stair lifts as a covered item outright, and one VA grant excludes them in writing.
STAR+PLUS lists minor home modifications as a covered service, so it is a reasonable place to ask. Veterans should start with the Houston County Veterans Service Office. Statewide, you can also ask about the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program (AYBR) and the Community Living Assistance and Support Services (CLASS) Waiver. Details for each local program are listed below.
A Texas Medicaid managed care waiver for residents 21 and older who are 65+ or have a disability, meet Medicaid financial rules and need a nursing-facility level of care. Minor home modifications are a listed covered service, but stair lifts are not named, so coverage depends on your individual service plan.
Serves adults 60 and older and family caregivers in an 11-county region that includes Houston County, with care coordination, benefits counseling, caregiver support and meals. It does not list a stair lift or home modification program, but it is a good first call to ask what help is available now: (409) 384-7614.
A lifetime VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for fixed alterations like ramps and roll-in showers. The VA lists stair glides as not covered, so HISA will not pay for a stair lift; call (800) 827-1000 with questions.
Up to $126,526 lifetime (FY2026) for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities who own or plan to own the home. Stair lifts are not named in the VA's description; call (800) 827-1000 to ask about your adaptation plan.
Up to $25,350 lifetime (FY2026) for veterans with loss or loss of use of both hands, severe burns or certain respiratory injuries, and the home can belong to a family member. Stair lifts are not named by the source; call (800) 827-1000.
A nonprofit center for independent living in Crockett serving people with disabilities of any age, offering skills training, peer support, referral and advocacy. A stair lift or home modification program is not listed, so call (936) 544-2811 to ask.
A county office that connects veterans and their families to VA benefits like HISA, SAH and SHA; it does not pay for equipment itself. It sits in the HC Courthouse Annex at 401 East Goliad in Crockett, and the county's general number is (936) 544-3255.
Older adults
274 E. Lamar St., Jasper, 75951
Veterans
401 East Goliad Suite 203, HC Courthouse Annex, Crockett, 75835
The HISA grant will not, because the VA lists stair glides as excluded. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way, so a veteran who qualifies should ask. The Houston County Veterans Service Office can help you file, and the VA line is (800) 827-1000.
STAR+PLUS lists minor home modifications as a covered service, but stair lifts are not named. Whether one is approved depends on medical need and the member's individual service plan set by the managed care organization.
Yes. The Deep East Texas Area Agency on Aging serves adults 60 and older and their caregivers in Houston County. Call (409) 384-7614 for the program line or (936) 384-5704 for the Jasper office and ask what in-home accessibility help is available.
Outdoor stair lifts and platform lifts are made for entry steps like these. The installer will look at the step layout, the ground around them and how the lift will handle weather.
The Crockett Resource Center for Independent Living serves people with disabilities of any age in Houston County. STAR+PLUS also covers residents 21 and older with a disability who meet its other rules. CRCIL can be reached at (936) 544-2811.
Much of the county is rural, and many installers are based in Lufkin or Nacogdoches. Ask up front how service calls and repairs work at your distance, and try to combine visits so the job moves along with fewer trips.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
