Steele County covers 715.4 square miles of rolling farmland, split into 20 townships around the cities of Finley, Hope, Luverne and Sharon. Much of the housing in these farm towns was built long before modern accessibility codes. Many houses have a full staircase up to the bedrooms or down to the basement, with no other way to get there.
That layout is where a stair lift earns its keep. This page walks through how the common home styles here affect the kind of lift you would need, what living far from town means for planning, and which local, state and VA offices to call about paying for it.
The county had 1,091 housing units in its latest profile, mostly single-family homes and detached houses. A staircase in an older farm-town house is often a single straight run between floors. A straight stair lift usually fits that kind of staircase well and mounts to the treads, not the wall.
Basement stairs deserve a close look. If laundry, a freezer or a furnace is downstairs, the basement steps can matter as much as the stairs to the bedrooms. We check the width, the headroom at the bottom and whether there is a landing or a turn.
Ranch-style homes keep most living space on one floor, so the stairs in question are often the ones to the basement. Split-level homes are different. They have short flights between levels, and a person may need to use more than one of them every day.
On a split-level, the choice is often between a separate straight lift on each short flight or one curved lift that follows the turn. A curved rail is built to the exact shape of your stairs. Where the steps are outside, such as at a raised entry, an outdoor lift or a platform lift may be the better fit.
Steele County has low population density, so residents travel farther to reach medical providers and home-modification installers than people in a metro area do. It helps to gather your questions before a home visit. Measure the stairs if you can, note where outlets are, and think about who in the home will use the lift.
Because a visit takes more travel here, it makes sense to look at every staircase in the house at once, including the basement and any outside steps. That way one trip covers the full picture.
Agriculture drives the local economy, and in a rural county like this, state and federal assistance programs carry more weight in paying for home accessibility equipment. The local starting point is the Agassiz Valley Human Service Zone, which has a satellite office inside the Steele County Courthouse in Finley and handles Medicaid applications, including home and community-based services.
None of the local program sources we reviewed name stair lifts as a covered item, so ask directly what is funded right now. Statewide options worth asking about include the North Dakota Medicaid HCBS Aged and Disabled Waiver, Environmental Modification, Service Payments for the Elderly and Disabled (SPED / Ex-SPED), the ND Assistive, Assistive Technology Financial Loan (ATFL) Program, and the North Dakota Homestead Property Tax Credit for Seniors and Disabled. The state Aging Services Division in Bismarck can be reached at (701) 328-8910.
Veterans should talk with the Steele County Veteran Service Officer before applying for VA housing grants, since the office helps file claims at no charge. One VA grant, HISA, specifically excludes stair glides.
The local intake office for Medicaid, SNAP, LIHEAP, TANF and aging services for Steele and Traill counties, with a satellite office at the Steele County Courthouse in Finley. Its listed services do not name stair lifts, but it processes applications for the statewide HCBS waiver; call (701) 636-5220.
A free statewide information, options counseling and referral service for seniors, adults with disabilities and caregivers. The source does not list stair lifts, so call (855) 462-5465 to ask what is currently funded for a Steele County applicant.
A Medicaid program that helps aged, blind and disabled North Dakotans who meet financial and nursing-facility level-of-care criteria stay at home. Stair lift coverage is not listed on the source pages; call the Agassiz Valley zone at (701) 636-5220 to confirm which home modifications it funds.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 for a permanent home (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, usable up to 6 times. Stair lifts are not named in the source, so ask the county veteran service officer at (701) 789-0686.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026) for structural adaptations to a home owned by a veteran or qualifying family member. Stair lifts are not named in the source; call (701) 789-0686 for help applying.
Helps SAH- or SHA-eligible veterans adapt a family member's home they are temporarily living in, up to $50,961 or $9,100 depending on eligibility (FY2026). Stair lifts are not named in the source; call (701) 789-0686.
A lifetime benefit of up to $6,800 for service-connected disabilities, or up to $2,000 for other eligible conditions, covering items like entrance access and ramping. It does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides are specifically excluded; questions go to (701) 789-0686.
Dennis Kubischta, at the Steele County Courthouse in Finley, helps veterans and dependents file VA claims for free, including the housing adaptation grants, but does not fund modifications itself. Call (701) 789-0686; the county Veterans Service Office is also listed at (701) 524-1926.
Older adults
600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 325, Bismarck, 58505
Veterans
Courthouse 201 Washington Avenue West, Finley, 58230
Often it can, but basement stairs need to be measured for width, headroom at the bottom and any turns. Many older farm-town homes have a full basement staircase, so it is worth having those steps checked during the same visit as the main stairs.
Not always. Split-level homes have short flights between levels, and some households use a straight lift on each flight while others choose one curved rail that follows the turn. The right answer depends on the shape of your stairs and which levels you use daily.
The Agassiz Valley Human Service Zone has a satellite office inside the Steele County Courthouse at 201 Washington Ave W in Finley. Call (701) 636-5220 to ask about the HCBS pathway and what home modifications it currently funds.
No. The VA source for HISA specifically excludes stair glides along with portable ramps and porch lifts. Other VA grants such as SAH and SHA do not name stair lifts either way, so ask the county veteran service officer at (701) 789-0686.
Yes. The ND Aging and Disability Resource Link at (855) 462-5465 offers free information and referral for seniors, adults with disabilities and caregivers. The state Aging Services Division is at (701) 328-8910.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
