Montevideo sits where the Chippewa River meets the Minnesota River, and a lot of the homes around it go back a long way. The town was platted in 1870, and the farmsteads and older town homes across Chippewa County were built with full interior staircases and nothing in the way of accessibility. In Granite Falls, Clara City, Milan and Maynard, the story is much the same.
These are homes people want to stay in. As of the 2020 census, 72.3% of housing units in the county were owner-occupied. When the stairs start to feel risky, a stair lift is often the simplest way to keep using the whole house without moving or rebuilding.
Most of what we see in Chippewa County falls into a few groups: single-family homes, split-level homes, ranch-style homes and low-rise buildings. Each one points to a different kind of lift.
Multi-story farmhouses and older town homes usually have one long run to the second floor. If that staircase goes straight from bottom to top, a straight stair lift is the most common fit. Older staircases with a turn, a landing or winders partway up need a curved lift built to that exact staircase.
Ranch-style homes keep the bedrooms on one level, but the laundry or storage is often down in the basement. A straight lift on the basement stairs can make that trip safe again. Split-level homes have short flights between levels, so we look at which flights the person really uses before suggesting one lift or more.
Chippewa County covers about 588 square miles of low rolling hills that slope toward the river valleys. Montevideo averages a 2°F January low, and the record low there was -37°F in January 1970. Long winters keep people indoors, which makes the inside stairs matter even more.
Getting into the house is part of the picture too. If the front or back entry has steps, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift may be worth discussing along with the indoor stairs. We look at the entry during the same visit so the whole route from driveway to bedroom is covered.
About 22.1% of Chippewa County residents are 65 or older. In Montevideo, 22.6% of residents are 65 or older, and 17.9% of households have someone 65 or older living alone. For someone living alone, a fall on the stairs with nobody nearby is a real worry, and that is often what starts the conversation with family.
With 57.2% of residents living in rural areas, many homes are a drive away from town and from relatives. Adult children who live elsewhere often call us first to ask what would fit a parent's home before they visit.
There are several funding routes here, and they work very differently. The Minnesota Elderly Waiver lists home modifications as a covered benefit for people 65 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care. In this county, the Long-Term Care Consultation for that waiver goes through the Chippewa County Family Services office at 320-269-6401.
Minnesota Housing offers two loan options that list accessibility work as eligible: a deferred loan up to $37,500 that can be forgiven, and the Fix Up loan, which ranges from $2,000 to $75,000 and must be repaid. Federal USDA repair loans and grants are also available in eligible rural areas, and most of rural Chippewa County outside Montevideo qualifies.
The Chippewa County Veterans Service Office in Montevideo can help a veteran sort out VA housing grants. If you are not sure where to start, the Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433 is a statewide line with no income limit to call. Details on each program are below.
A Medicaid waiver for Minnesota residents 65 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care, and home modifications are a covered benefit category. Call (800) 333-2433, or start the Long-Term Care Consultation with Chippewa County Family Services at 320-269-6401.
A free information, options-counseling and caregiver-support referral service for adults 60 and older and family caregivers in its 27-county area, which includes Chippewa County. Its sources do not mention stair lifts; call (507) 387-1256.
A free statewide hotline for Minnesota seniors, adults with disabilities and caregivers, with no income limit to call. Stair lifts are not mentioned in its materials, but it can point you to programs; call (800) 333-2433.
A deferred loan up to $37,500 for low-income homeowners with household assets of $25,000 or less, forgiven if the owner stays in the home for the full term, and accessibility is an eligible improvement. Call (651) 296-7608.
A fixed-rate loan from $2,000 to $75,000 over 1 to 20 years for owner-occupied Minnesota homes, with accessibility improvements listed as eligible; it must be repaid and income and credit limits apply. Call (651) 296-7608.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income rural homeowners, with grants limited to those 62 and older. The source names ramps and walk-in tubs but does not mention stair lifts, and applications go through regional Rural Development field offices.
VA grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026 for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities who own or co-own their home; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source. For help applying, call the county veterans office at (320) 269-6419.
Free benefits navigation and claims-filing help for veterans and dependents in Chippewa County, located at 629 N 11th Street, Suite 1, Montevideo; it is not a direct funding source and stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (320) 269-6419.
Older adults
2401 Broadway Ave., Suite 4, Slayton, 56172
Veterans
629 N 11th Street, Suite 1, Montevideo, 56265
The Minnesota Elderly Waiver lists home modifications as a covered benefit for residents 65 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care. The first step is a Long-Term Care Consultation through the Chippewa County Family Services office at 320-269-6401.
The Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging serves adults 60 and older and family caregivers, and the Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433 takes calls from adults with disabilities as well as seniors. The Minnesota Housing loans are based on homeownership and income rather than age.
Most of rural Chippewa County outside Montevideo qualifies as a USDA-eligible rural area. Section 504 offers loans up to $40,000 and, for homeowners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan, grants up to $10,000. The program does not specifically mention stair lifts, so ask the regional Rural Development office.
Yes, in most cases. A staircase with a turn or landing usually needs a curved stair lift built to match it, while a straight run from bottom to top can take a straight lift.
The Chippewa County Veterans Service Office at 629 N 11th Street, Suite 1, Montevideo, can help with VA benefits, including Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation grants. Call (320) 269-6419.
No. The Minnesota Housing Fix Up loan ranges from $2,000 to $75,000 and must be repaid. The Rehabilitation Loan Program is the one with a deferred loan up to $37,500 that can be forgiven if you stay in the home for the full term.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
