Snyder, the Scurry County seat, grew up around the historic Scurry County Courthouse on the town square. Like Hermleigh and the ranch country around both towns, much of its housing reflects the agricultural and oil-boom eras of West Texas. That older, small-town building stock is where most stair questions start.
Scurry County covers 905 square miles of flat-to-gently-rolling South Plains terrain, with about 18.7 people per square mile. Many families live on rural properties well outside town. This page walks through which kind of stair lift fits local homes and where to ask about help paying for one.
Most homes here are single-family homes and detached houses, and many are single-story. That sounds like there are no stairs to deal with, but raised entries and porch steps are often the real barrier. A few steps at the front or back door can keep someone inside or make every trip out risky.
Split-level homes and split-level additions bring short runs of stairs inside the house. These are often straight runs, which usually suit a straight stair lift. If a staircase turns or has a landing partway up, a curved lift built to that staircase is the usual answer.
Low-rise buildings can have shared or longer stairways. In those cases, check with the building owner before planning any installation.
When the problem is the entry rather than an inside staircase, an outdoor stair lift rated for weather can run along porch or entry steps. It needs a solid, sound set of steps to mount on, so older wood porches should be checked first.
For someone who uses a wheelchair, a seat lift may not help much. A platform lift carries the person and the chair together and is often a better fit for a raised entry.
With homes spread across a large, lightly populated county, travel times for installers, home-modification contractors and in-home aging services run longer than in a city. Plan ahead and ask about scheduling when you first call.
It also helps to have measurements, photos of the stairs and a note on any recent repairs ready before the first visit. That can cut down on return trips to a rural property.
About 15.6% of residents are 65 or older, and 71.9% of households own their homes. Owners can usually decide on a stair lift without a landlord's permission, which makes planning simpler.
That makes the VA programs below worth checking, though their rules on stair lifts differ a lot.
The median home value in the county is $113,800, well below the national average, so a stair lift is a large purchase compared with what many homes are worth. With an oil-dependent economy that rises and falls, many older homeowners look for grant or loan help instead of paying in full.
The programs listed below are the main places to ask. None of the sources confirm that a stair lift is covered, and one VA grant explicitly excludes stair glides, so call and ask before you count on any of them.
Statewide, other programs to ask about include the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program (AYBR) and the Community Living Assistance and Support Services (CLASS) Waiver. The West Central Texas AAA in Abilene can be reached at (325) 672-8544, and veterans can contact the Texas Veterans Commission Dallas Office at (214) 857-0444.
A Texas Medicaid program for residents aged 21+ who qualify for nursing-facility level of care but choose to get services at home. The source does not list stair lifts, and any home modification would be decided case by case through the member's care plan and service coordinator.
Funds repairs or modifications of a dwelling that are essential to an older person's health and safety, but the source does not name stair lifts or confirm Scurry County is in its 19-county area. Call (325) 793-8417 to ask whether a stair-access modification could qualify.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability rating, for medically necessary structural changes prescribed by a VA provider. Stair lifts are not covered: the program explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
Grants for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH or $25,350 for SHA (FY2026). The source gives ramps and widened doorways as examples but does not list stair lifts; call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
1025 EN 10th St., Abilene, 79601
Veterans
4500 South Lancaster Road, Dallas, 75216-7167
It can. Raised entries and porch steps are common barriers in older single-story homes here, and an outdoor stair lift or platform lift at the entry may solve them.
The HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides. SAH and SHA grants do not list stair lifts in the source, so a veteran with a qualifying disability should call (800) 827-1000 and ask whether one could be part of an approved plan.
STAR+PLUS Home and Community Based Services is open to Texas residents aged 21+ who meet Medicaid long-term care rules. The source does not list stair lifts, so coverage would be decided case by case.
Start with the WCTCOG Area Agency on Aging Residential Repair line at (325) 793-8417, or the West Central Texas AAA in Abilene at (325) 672-8544. Ask whether your county is served and whether stair access counts as an essential modification.
Possibly. Homes spread across 905 square miles mean longer travel for installers and contractors, so call early and have stair photos and measurements ready.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
