From the Craftsman bungalows of West Central and Hillyard to the Victorian and Queen Anne houses of Browne's Addition, a lot of Spokane County was built with stairs at its center. Many of these homes have full basements and more than one level. That was typical Pacific Northwest construction for the era, and it means long-time owners climb interior stairs every day.
Outside the city, the picture changes but the stairs stay. Homes in Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Mead, Deer Park, Cheney and Green Bluff often sit on sloped lots, with steps up to the front door as well as steps between floors. This page walks through what that means for a stair lift and where Spokane County families can look for help paying for one.
Spokane's early-20th-century neighborhoods, including West Central, East Central, Hillyard and lower South Hill, hold a large share of American Craftsman-style bungalows. Northwest and north Spokane filled in during the 1930s through the 1950s with 'minimal traditional' style homes, many with backyard-alley carports. The city also recognizes 18 National Register Historical Districts.
In these houses, the stair that matters most is often the one down to a full basement where the laundry or a spare bedroom sits. A basement run that goes straight from top to bottom is usually a good fit for a straight stair lift. Stairs that turn at a landing, which show up in some Victorian and Queen Anne layouts, generally call for a curved rail built to that staircase.
Split-level homes are common in the county, and they come with several short flights instead of one long one. Each flight is its own installation question, so we look at which levels you actually use every day before suggesting anything.
Townhouses often have a single straight flight between the main floor and bedrooms. Walk-up apartments are a different case, since shared stairways usually involve the building owner, so that conversation starts with whoever manages the property.
Spokane County covers 1,780.98 square miles, running from the drier Columbia Basin landscape in the west to Rocky Mountain foothills in the east. Elevation goes from 1,538 feet at Long Lake Dam to 5,887 feet at the summit of Mount Spokane. The city itself wraps around a river gorge and the South Hill.
On a sloped lot, the hardest stairs may be the exterior steps to the entry. An outdoor stair lift is built for that kind of run. Where there are many steps or a wheelchair has to come along, a platform lift can be the better match, and we talk through both at the home visit.
About 16.4% of residents are 65 or older, and 58.2% of households own their home. Ownership matters, because several of the funding programs below expect the person to own the house or live in a family member's home.
Spokane County Regional Veterans Services, at 1117 N. Evergreen Rd., Suite 2, Spokane Valley 99216, can be reached at (509) 477-3690 to talk through VA housing grants.
Two programs on this page name stair lifts directly: the Northwest Access Fund home modification loan and the DDA waivers' environmental adaptations. The VA grants and the COPES waiver cover home modifications, but their sources do not mention stair lifts by name, so ask before counting on them.
A good first call is Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington through Community Living Connections at (509) 960-7281. The Spokane Area AAA office is at 1222 N. Post St., Spokane 99201, phone (509) 458-2509. Other statewide options to ask about include Community First Choice (CFC) and the Senior Citizens & People with Disabilities Property Tax Exemption.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 for FY2026 for veterans with certain serious service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home. The VA lists ramps and widened doorways as examples and does not name stair lifts, so ask Spokane County Regional Veterans Services at (509) 477-3690.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 for FY2026 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, and the home may belong to the veteran or a family member. Stair lifts are not named in the VA's examples; a related Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grant can help with a family member's home.
A Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) waiver through DSHS Home & Community Services for people who meet nursing-facility level of care and want to stay home; it pays for minor physical adaptations needed for health and safety. Stair lifts are not named in the rule, so ask Community Living Connections at (509) 960-7281 how it applies.
For Developmental Disabilities Administration clients on a DDA waiver, environmental adaptations specifically include installing stair lifts, capped at $12,192 a year under the Core and Community Protection waivers. The work must be done by a registered, licensed and bonded contractor that has a DDA contract.
A nonprofit low-interest loan of up to $60,000 over up to 10 years for people with disabilities, including seniors with age-related limitations, and it lists stair lift installation as a covered use. It must be repaid; call (206) 328-5116 or toll-free 877-428-5116.
A free referral hub for seniors and adults with disabilities in Ferry, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens and Whitman counties that connects callers to the program that fits. It does not list its own stair lift grant; call (509) 960-7281.
Older adults
1222 N. Post St., Spokane, 99201
Veterans
1117 N. Evergreen Rd., Suite 2, Spokane Valley, 99216
It depends on the program. DDA waivers name stair lifts as an environmental adaptation. The COPES waiver covers minor physical adaptations needed for safety but does not name stair lifts, so call Community Living Connections at (509) 960-7281 to ask.
Yes. Northwest Access Fund offers home modification loans up to $60,000 with terms up to 10 years, and stair lifts are on its list. Call (206) 328-5116 or 877-428-5116.
The SHA grant allows the home to be owned by the veteran or a family member, and the Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grant is for modifications to a family member's home. Stair lifts are not named in the VA's examples, so check with Spokane County Regional Veterans Services at (509) 477-3690.
Often, yes. Outdoor stair lifts are made for exterior steps, and a platform lift may make more sense for a long climb or a wheelchair user. We'd look at the slope and the steps in person.
Start with Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington at (509) 960-7281, or the Spokane Area AAA office at (509) 458-2509. Veterans can also call (509) 477-3690.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
