Emporia is a small independent city and the county seat of the surrounding Greensville County. It shares schools, courts and sheriff services with the county. Many of its homes are older, and several sit in historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Belfield-Emporia and Hicksford-Emporia Historic Districts.
Older multi-story houses are where stair lift questions come up most. This page walks through what Emporia's homes mean for the kind of lift you would need, and which state, federal and local programs may help pay for one.
The city had 2,647 housing units at the 2020 census. The housing stock includes single-family homes, detached houses, townhouses, duplexes and low-rise apartments. A lot of that stock is older, which matters when you are fitting a lift to a staircase built decades ago.
A straight staircase with no turns or landings usually takes a straight stair lift, the simplest and quickest kind to install. Stairs that turn, wind or stop at a mid-landing need a curved lift with a rail built to match that staircase. In older houses, we measure carefully because steps and walls are not always uniform.
About 38.4% of households in the city own their homes, so many Emporia residents rent. That changes the conversation. A renter needs the owner's permission before a lift goes in, and some funding is set up only for homeowners while other funding is set up for renters.
In surrounding Greensville County, 70.0% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, which is relevant if a family member lives just outside the city line.
Greensville County sits on the flat Atlantic Coastal Plain in southside Virginia along the North Carolina border, with the Meherrin River forming part of its boundary. The county is heavily rural, with 87.8% of residents living in rural areas at the 2020 census.
For families in outlying homes, that rural spread affects how far outreach programs reach and how equipment gets to the house. It is worth asking early about scheduling for both the measuring visit and the install. Outdoor lifts for porch or entry steps and platform lifts for wheelchair users are separate options we can look at during the same visit.
Two grants name chairlifts, the common name for stair lifts, as covered projects. Virginia Housing Accessibility Grants go up to $10,000 with no repayment, and Southside Outreach Group is the Virginia Housing-approved local agent that handles applications for the Emporia area. Its own Accessibility Modifications Grant goes up to $8,000 per application.
For people who qualify for Medicaid and need a nursing facility level of care, the CCC Plus waiver lists home modifications as a covered service. Veterans have separate VA grants, though the HISA grant excludes stair glides. Other statewide programs to ask about include the Virginia Livable Home Tax Credit (LHTC) and the Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority (ATLFA).
The Crater District Area Agency on Aging does not list a stair lift benefit, but it can point older residents toward these funding sources. Details on each program are below.
Virginia's Medicaid waiver for home and community-based long-term care lists home modifications as a covered service, approved per plan of care; stair lifts are treated as covered, though the source examples name ramps, grab bars and widened doorways. Call (844) 374-9159.
Serves people age 60 and older in Emporia and nearby localities with case management, homemaker, nutrition, transportation and legal services; stair lifts are not listed, but it can refer you to funding. Call (804) 732-7020.
Offers 1% loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners age 62 and older in eligible rural areas who cannot repay a loan; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Call (434) 634-2462.
Pays for permanent alterations like ramps, roll-in showers and widened doorways for veterans with a medical need, but it does not cover stair glides. Call (804) 675-5000.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) in FY2026 for homeowner veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Call (804) 675-5000.
A grant of up to $10,000 with no repayment that lists chairlifts among covered projects, with tracks for homeowners, renters and veterans with a service-connected disability. Applications go through an approved local agent; call (877) 843-2123.
The local administrator of this Virginia Housing-funded grant, covering ramps and chairlifts up to $8,000 per application, one grant every five years, and it names Emporia in its service area. Call (434) 572-9556.
Older adults
23 Seyler Drive, Petersburg, 23805
Veterans
Emporia Community Based Outpatient Clinic, 1746 East Atlantic Street, Emporia, 23847
Yes. The Virginia Housing Accessibility Grants and the Southside Outreach Group Accessibility Modifications Grant both list chairlifts as covered. Southside Outreach Group names Emporia in its service area and can be reached at (434) 572-9556.
The Virginia Housing program has a Rental Unit Accessibility Modification track for renters with a disability at or below 60% of area median income. The unit must be your primary residence, and the application goes through an approved local agent.
Not through the HISA grant, which excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way. Veterans with a line-of-duty service-connected disability can look at the Granting Freedom track of the Virginia Housing grant. The Emporia Office is at the Emporia Community Based Outpatient Clinic, 1746 East Atlantic Street, phone (434) 829-6386.
The Crater District AAA (PSA 19) at 23 Seyler Drive in Petersburg serves Emporia residents age 60 and older. Call (804) 732-7020.
The CCC Plus waiver lists home modifications as a covered service. In 2026 a single applicant can have income up to $2,982 a month and assets up to $2,000, plus a functional assessment. The helpline is (844) 374-9159.
Applicants are limited to one grant every five years, with exceptions for relocation or weather-related damage repairs. Each application is capped at $8,000.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
