Martinsville is an independent city in the Southern Virginia Piedmont, sitting at roughly 1,020 feet and serving as the historical seat of the surrounding Henry County. Its older core includes two districts on the National Register of Historic Places: the Martinsville Historic District and the East Church Street-Starling Avenue Historic District. Many of the homes there were built with more than one floor, and their stairs were never designed with aging in place in mind.
The ground outside the door matters too. The west side of the city is hilly, the north side sits highest, and the east side slopes down toward the Smith River on the south. This page walks through what that means for choosing a stair lift and lists the state, federal and local programs that may help a Martinsville household pay for one.
Homes in the Martinsville Historic District and the East Church Street-Starling Avenue Historic District tend to be older multi-story houses. Stairways in older homes can be narrow, steep or turn at a landing, so we measure each one before recommending anything.
A single straight run is usually the simplest case, since a straight stair lift rides on a rail fixed to the treads. If the stair turns, curves or has a landing partway up, a curved stair lift with a custom-bent rail is usually the answer.
In the hilly western sections and the higher northern neighborhoods, getting into the house can be as hard as getting upstairs. Front porches and entry steps on a slope often add a second set of stairs to deal with.
An outdoor stair lift is built to handle the weather on exterior steps. Where a wheelchair user needs to get from yard level to the porch, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat.
Martinsville housing also includes townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings alongside single-family and detached houses. About 56.7% of residents own their homes, so a good share of households can decide on a lift without anyone else's sign-off.
Renters in a walk-up or low-rise building should talk with the owner first. Some funding, such as the Essential Home and Accessibility Repair Program (EHARP), allows tenants to apply with owner approval.
Of the city's 13,584 residents, 17.1% are 65 or older, and many of them are aging in place in the same multi-story homes they have lived in for years.
Adult children often make the first call after a parent has a close call on the stairs. A home visit lets us look at the stairway, the entry steps and how the person moves before suggesting a lift type.
Money is a real concern here. Martinsville's population fell from 19,653 in 1970 to 13,485 in 2020 as tobacco, textile and furniture jobs left, and as of the 2010 census the median household income was $27,441 with about 19.2% of residents below the poverty line.
The clearest match is the Virginia Housing Accessibility Grants program, which explicitly lists chairlifts and offers grants up to $10,000 with no repayment. Other programs cover home modifications in general without naming stair lifts, so ask each one directly. The Southern Area Agency on Aging at 204 Cleveland Avenue, (276) 632-6442, and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services office at 233 W. Commonwealth Blvd, (276) 634-3600, are good local starting points.
A Virginia Medicaid waiver for people 65 and older or blind or disabled who need nursing-facility level of care; it covers Environmental Modifications and Assistive Technology, but the source does not name stair lifts specifically. Call Cover Virginia at (833) 522-5582.
Offers small jobs and small safety and accessibility modifications for older adults in Danville, Martinsville and the counties of Franklin, Henry, Patrick and Pittsylvania; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source. Call (276) 632-6442.
Grants up to $10,000 with no repayment, and installing chairlifts is listed as an eligible modification; veterans with a service-connected disability qualify at or below 80% Area Median Income, others at or below 60%, through a Virginia Housing-approved agent. Call (877) 843-2123.
Provides up to $4,000 for homeowners, or tenants with owner approval, at or below 80% Area Median Income for wheelchair ramps, other accessibility modifications and key repairs; stair lifts are not named in the source. Call (804) 371-7000.
A Virginia tax credit of 50% of retrofit cost up to $6,500 for adding a permanent accessibility feature, with pre-approval required; the source does not say whether stair lifts qualify. Call (804) 371-7000.
Federal repair help for very-low-income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas; stair lifts are not mentioned, and because Martinsville is an independent city most in-city addresses likely do not qualify, so check your address first. Call (804) 287-1500.
Up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities such as loss of use of limbs or blindness; the source gives ramps and doorway widening as examples and does not name stair lifts. Call the VA at (800) 827-1000.
Up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities such as loss of use of one hand or certain mobility injuries; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call the VA at (800) 827-1000.
A lifetime benefit of $6,800 or $2,000 for medically prescribed structural changes for enrolled VA health care patients. It does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides are explicitly excluded.
A nonprofit with a Martinsville office at Patrick Henry Community College that offers advocacy, referral and home modification help for people with disabilities; it does not issue cash grants and stair lifts are not named. Call (276) 226-1696.
Older adults
204 Cleveland Avenue, Martinsville, 24112
Veterans
233 W. Commonwealth Blvd, Martinsville, 24112
Yes. Virginia Housing Accessibility Grants list installing chairlifts as a typical eligible modification, with grants up to $10,000 and no repayment. You apply through a Virginia Housing-approved agent; call (877) 843-2123.
No. The HISA grant explicitly excludes removable equipment such as stair glides. Veterans should look at the Granting Freedom track of the Virginia Housing Accessibility Grants, or ask about the SAH and SHA grants at (800) 827-1000, though those sources do not name stair lifts.
Probably not. Section 504 is for USDA-eligible rural areas, and because Martinsville is an independent city, most in-city addresses likely do not qualify. Check your specific address with USDA or call (804) 287-1500.
The Southern Area Agency on Aging at 204 Cleveland Avenue handles small safety and accessibility modifications for older adults; call (276) 632-6442. Veterans can also reach the Virginia Department of Veterans Services office at (276) 634-3600.
Inside stairs are usually handled with a straight or curved stair lift depending on the layout. For exterior entry steps on a slope, an outdoor stair lift or, for a wheelchair user, a platform lift is often the better fit.
Some programs allow it. The Essential Home and Accessibility Repair Program (EHARP) accepts tenants with owner approval and offers up to $4,000; call (804) 371-7000.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
