Norman County runs along the Red River in the far northwest of Minnesota, with North Dakota on the other bank and Ada, Twin Valley, Halstad and Gary spread across the valley farmland. A lot of the homes here are older single-family houses and farmhouses, many with bedrooms upstairs and staircases built decades before anyone talked about universal design.
That combination matters when a parent starts having trouble on the stairs. A stair lift can let someone keep using the second floor of a house they have lived in for years, and in a county where 20.1% of residents are 65 or older, that question comes up at a lot of kitchen tables.
The housing stock here is mostly single-family homes, detached houses and ranch-style homes, plus some walk-up apartments in town. Countywide, 78.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied, so most families can make changes to the house without asking a landlord.
Older farmhouses and town houses with upstairs bedrooms are where stair lifts get the most use. A straight staircase with no landing usually takes a straight rail, which is the simplest install. Stairs that turn at a landing or wind near the top need a curved rail made to fit that specific staircase.
Ranch-style homes often have the main living space on one floor, but the basement stairs can still be a problem for laundry or storage. Walk-up apartments are a different case, since the building owner has a say in what gets attached to a shared stairway.
Most of the county is flat valley farmland with low rolling hills cut by the Wild Rice and Marsh Rivers. Even the highest point, Frenchman's Bluff in Flom Township, rises only about 150 feet above the old shoreline of glacial Lake Agassiz.
Flat ground does not mean a home has no steps, though. Many farmhouses sit up off the ground with a few porch steps to the door. For those, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can be worth looking at, especially when a wheelchair or walker is part of the picture.
Norman County covers 872.789 square miles and is the 26th-largest county in Minnesota by area. Installers and home-modification contractors often drive long rural stretches to reach a single farmstead.
It helps to plan ahead. Measure the stairs, note any turns or landings, and have questions ready so a site visit covers everything in one trip.
The Norman County Veteran Service Office is at 16 East 3rd Avenue, Room 102, Ada 56510, and can be reached at (218) 784-5494.
Be aware that the VA's HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides, so a stair lift itself is not covered there. The larger VA housing grants do not mention stair lifts either way, so ask the office directly about your situation.
No program below lists stair lifts as a covered item, and the VA HISA grant rules them out. Several still fund home modifications or home repairs, so it is worth asking before you pay out of pocket.
For someone 65 or older on Medical Assistance, the Elderly Waiver is the first call. Adults under 65 with a disability can look at the CADI Waiver. Both start with a MnCHOICES assessment through the county.
Statewide, Minnesota also lists the Alternative Care (AC) Program, the Minnesota Housing Fix Up Loan (Accessibility Loan) and the Minnesota Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program (RLP). For general aging services, the Northwest AAA (Inter-County Community Council) is at 111 South Civic Center Drive, Oklee 56742, phone (218) 281-8288.
A Medicaid waiver for people 65 or older on Medical Assistance who need a nursing-facility level of care but want to stay home; home modifications are set case by case, and stair lifts are not listed on the source that could be confirmed. Apply through the county with a MnCHOICES assessment by calling (218) 784-5520.
A Medicaid waiver for people under 65 at waiver start who are certified as disabled and need a nursing-facility level of care; home modifications are an approved service category, but stair lifts are not named. Call (218) 784-5520 to start a MnCHOICES assessment.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan; Norman County, including Ada, qualifies as rural. The source names ramps and walk-in tubs as examples but does not list stair lifts.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on the disability, for medically necessary changes to a veteran's primary residence. Stair glides are explicitly excluded; call (218) 784-5494 for help with other modifications.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026; the VA cites ramps and doorway widening but does not mention stair lifts. Call (218) 784-5494 to ask about eligibility.
Resource coordination and information services for adults generally 60 and older and their caregivers across 21 counties in Northwest and West Central Minnesota; it is not a cash grant and stair lifts are not listed. Norman County's membership could not be confirmed, so call (218) 745-6733 to check.
The HRA keeps a Norman County referral directory for housing and other services, but its Levy Revolving Rehab Loan Program does not include Norman County and no stair lift or accessibility funding is listed. Call (218) 637-2431 to ask what is currently available.
Older adults
111 South Civic Center Drive, Oklee, 56742
Veterans
16 East 3rd Avenue, Room 102, Ada, 56510
The Elderly Waiver and CADI Waiver can fund home modifications case by case, but the sources that could be confirmed do not list stair lifts. Call (218) 784-5520 to request a MnCHOICES assessment and ask about your home.
The HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts either way, so contact the Norman County Veteran Service Office in Ada at (218) 784-5494.
The CADI Waiver is for people under 65 at waiver start who are certified as disabled and need a nursing-facility level of care. The USDA Section 504 loans are open to very-low-income homeowners of any age, while its grants are limited to those 62 and older.
Yes, a staircase with a turn or landing usually takes a curved rail built to fit those exact stairs. Straight runs with no turns use a simpler straight rail.
No. Its Levy Revolving Rehab Loan Program is limited to Kittson, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake and Roseau counties. Call (218) 637-2431 to ask about other options for Norman County.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
