Goodhue County sits in southeastern Minnesota's bluff country, about 780 square miles running from the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin on the Wisconsin border to a high point near 1,260 feet at the southwest corner. The Cannon River, the Little Cannon River and the North Fork of the Zumbro River cut through it, and homes in Red Wing, Cannon Falls, Zumbrota, Pine Island, Kenyon, Goodhue, Wanamingo, Bellechester and Dennison are built on that rolling, uneven ground.
Much of the housing here is older and owner-occupied, a pattern that goes back to the county's early Yankee settlers and its mid-19th-century wheat economy centered on the Red Wing mills. Those houses were not built with aging in mind. This page covers which kind of stair lift fits the homes you find here and where local families can look for help paying for one.
Single-family homes and ranch-style homes are the most common fit for a straight stair lift. In a ranch, the stairs that matter are usually the basement stairs to the laundry or the family room, and a straight run is the simplest and quickest install.
Split-level homes are different. The stairs come in short runs between levels, often with a turn or landing, so you may need a lift on each run or a custom curved rail that follows the turns. We measure every step before recommending one or the other.
Townhouses tend to have one straight interior staircase, which suits a standard lift. Walk-up apartments are trickier because the stairs are usually shared, so the building owner has to agree before anything is mounted.
Bluff country means a lot of homes sit on slopes, with steps from the driveway or sidewalk up to the front door. For those, an outdoor stair lift built for weather, or a vertical platform lift at a porch, can matter as much as the lift inside.
Minnesota winters are hard on outdoor equipment, so tell us which entrance you actually use year-round. Sometimes the better plan is to make one entry accessible and leave the other alone.
About 19.3% of the county's 33,117 residents are 65 or older, and 73.9% of households own their homes. Owning the home makes a permanent install simple: you decide, and there is no landlord to ask.
The county is mostly rural, 66.9% rural versus 33.1% urban in the 2020 Census, and services are concentrated in Red Wing, the county seat. If a parent lives out near Bellechester or Dennison, a lift that keeps the bedroom and bathroom reachable can cut down on the trips family members make to help.
The Goodhue County Veterans Service Office is at 509 W. 5th St., Lower Level, Red Wing 55066, and can be reached at (651) 385-3256.
The program that most clearly lists home modifications is the Minnesota Elderly Waiver, for people 65 or older who need a nursing facility level of care. Goodhue County residents start with a Long-Term Care Consultation through Goodhue County Health & Human Services at (651) 385-3200.
If income is too high for the waiver, the Minnesota Housing Fix Up Loan has an Accessibility Loan option with no income limit. Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, so ask the Veterans Service Office about other VA options. The full list of programs is below.
A state Medicaid waiver for people 65 or older who need a nursing facility level of care, with a 2026 income limit of $2,982 a month for a single applicant; home modifications are a covered benefit, and slots are limited. Apply through Goodhue County Health & Human Services at (651) 385-3200, or call the state line at (800) 333-2433.
An information, referral and care-planning resource that serves Goodhue County and names stair lifts among common home improvements; it is not a direct cash grant. Call (507) 288-6944 or visit 2720 Superior Dr. NW, Suite 300, Rochester 55901.
A nonprofit serving people with disabilities in Goodhue County, with an assistive technology service; its source does not mention stair lifts or home-modification funding. Call (507) 285-1815 to ask what is currently offered.
Repair loans up to $40,000 at a fixed 1% rate for up to 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners 62 or older in eligible rural areas who cannot repay a loan; the source does not mention stair lifts. The listed phone is (651) 385-3200.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime, depending on disability status, for medically necessary permanent alterations like ramps and roll-in showers; it does not cover stair lifts, which it lists as excluded stair glides. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026, to build, buy or remodel an accessible home; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Fixed-rate loans from $2,000 to $75,000 over 1 to 20 years through a participating lender, with no income limit for the Accessibility loan; the source does not name stair lifts, so confirm with the lender. Call (651) 296-7608.
The county's intake point for the Long-Term Care Consultation that leads to Elderly Waiver benefits; its own page does not mention stair lifts or home-modification funding. Call (651) 385-3200.
Older adults
2720 Superior Dr. NW, Suite 300, Rochester, 55901
Veterans
509 W. 5th St., Lower Level, Red Wing, 55066
The VA HISA grant does not; it lists stair glides as an excluded item. The SAH and SHA grants fund accessibility remodeling but do not name stair lifts, so call the Goodhue County Veterans Service Office at (651) 385-3256 to talk through your situation.
It lists home modifications as a covered benefit for people 65 or older who need a nursing facility level of care and meet the 2026 income limit of $2,982 a month. Start with a Long-Term Care Consultation through Goodhue County Health & Human Services at (651) 385-3200.
The Minnesota Housing Fix Up Loan's Accessibility Loan option has no income limit and lends $2,000 to $75,000. You apply through a participating lender and should confirm with them that a stair lift qualifies.
Usually, yes. Split-levels have short runs between floors, so the answer is either a lift on each run or a curved rail that follows the turns, depending on the layout we measure.
The Southeastern Minnesota Area Agency on Aging serves Goodhue County and offers information, referral and care planning. Call (507) 288-6944.
It can, but the stairs are usually shared, so the building owner must approve the install first. Ask the owner before we schedule a measurement.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
