Drive out of Park Rapids toward Nevis, Akeley or Lake George and the land starts rolling. The county is hilly, largely wooded and dotted with lakes and ponds, and many homes were built to follow those sloped lots. That often means a split-entry foyer, a walkout basement, or a lake cabin that became a year-round house with stairs between every floor.
Those stairs are usually what pushes people to think about moving. A stair lift can be an option for staying put instead. This page walks through how the homes here tend to be laid out, which kind of lift fits them, and which Minnesota and local programs to call about paying for one.
A lot of Hubbard County homes have a half-flight or full flight of stairs between the front door and the main living floor. In a split-level, you may have two short runs instead of one long one. Each straight run can usually take its own straight stair lift, which is the simplest and quickest type to install.
If the two half-flights meet at a landing and turn, a single curved lift can carry someone the whole way without changing seats. Curved rails are built to the exact shape of your staircase, so we measure on site before anything is ordered.
Lake cabins turned into year-round homes often stack living space on several levels. Bedrooms may be up top while the walkout basement holds the laundry or a guest room. Many families start with the stairs used every day and add a second lift later if needed.
Sloped wooded lots can also put a set of steps outside, between the driveway and the door or down toward the water. Outdoor stair lifts are made to handle weather. Where a wheelchair has to come along, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat.
Hubbard County covers about 999.5 square miles, and the 2020 census counted it as 100% rural. Outside Park Rapids, people live in spread-out lake communities, townships and forest land.
That distance matters. Contractors, waiver case managers and aging services staff have farther to drive, which can stretch wait times for home assessments. If a parent is starting to struggle on the stairs, it helps to call the programs below early rather than waiting for a fall.
The county skews older than Minnesota as a whole. As of the 2020 census, 25.2% of residents were 65 or older and the median age was 46.9, so you are far from the only family sorting this out.
Most homes here are owner-occupied (80.1% as of the 2020 census), so owner programs like Minnesota Housing loans and USDA repair loans are often the place to start. Renters usually need landlord permission before any modification work.
For people who qualify for Medical Assistance, the Elderly Waiver and the CADI waiver home modification benefit are the most direct routes, since the CADI source lists stair lifts by name. Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant excludes stair glides. The Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433 is a good first call to sort out which program fits. The full list is below.
Pays for home and community-based services, including home accessibility modifications, for people 65 or older who need a nursing facility level of care; 2026 limits for a single applicant are $2,982 monthly income and $3,000 in assets. Call the Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433 to start.
A waiver-supported home modification service whose source lists stair lifts by name, with cost decided case by case. Ask a county waiver case manager which waiver program applies to you.
Administers Older Americans Act funding and offers free information and resource coordination across 21 counties in Northwest and West Central Minnesota; stair lifts are not listed. Call (218) 745-6733.
Free statewide counseling and referral for Minnesotans 60+ and caregivers, connecting callers to Medical Assistance, Elderly Waiver and Alternative Care; stair lifts are not listed. Call (800) 333-2433.
Repair loans and grants for very-low-income rural homeowners, with grants limited to those 62 or older; stair lifts are not listed and the dollar figures could not be re-verified recently. Call (218) 751-1942 to confirm current terms.
Covers permanent alterations such as ramps and roll-in showers, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on disability status, but it specifically excludes stair glides. Call (800) 698-2411.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities to build, buy or remodel a home, up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026; stair lifts are not listed. The Hubbard County Veteran Services Office can help you apply.
Helps veterans, widows and dependents file claims and offers optical, dental and hardship grants; it does not list a stair lift benefit but is the local path to VA housing grants. Call (218) 732-3561 or visit 201 Fair Ave, Park Rapids.
Serves low-income residents of Hubbard and nearby counties with services such as furnace and water heater repair and weatherization; stair lifts are not listed. Call (888) 458-1385.
Fixed-rate home improvement loans from $2,000 to $75,000 over 1 to 20 years, with income limits waived for the Accessibility Improvements option; stair lifts are not named specifically. Call (651) 296-8215.
Up to $37,500 for low-income owner-occupants with assets under $25,000, and it covers accessibility needs for a household resident with a disability, though stair lifts are not named. Call (651) 296-8215.
Serves Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard and Wadena Counties, mainly with new home construction; no accessibility repair program is listed. Call (218) 828-8517 to ask about current repair offerings.
Manages affordable rental housing and related programs for low- to moderate-income Hubbard County households; no stair lift or modification product is listed. Call (218) 732-9118.
Handles cash, food and housing support plus adult protective services, and is where the Elderly Waiver application process runs for county residents; stair lifts are not listed. Call (218) 732-1451.
Older adults
111 South Civic Center Drive, Oklee, 56742
Veterans
201 Fair Ave, Park Rapids, 56470
Usually, yes. Each straight half-flight can take a straight stair lift, and if the runs turn at a landing, a curved lift can cover both. We measure your stairs in person first.
Not through the HISA grant, which lists stair glides among excluded items. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so talk with Hubbard County Veteran Services at (218) 732-3561 about your situation.
It can through the waivers. The CADI waiver home modification source lists stair lifts by name, and the Elderly Waiver covers home modifications for people 65 or older who meet its income, asset and care-level rules.
The Senior LinkAge Line serves Minnesotans 60 and older at (800) 333-2433. The Minnesota Housing Fix Up Loan also waives income limits for its accessibility option.
Hubbard County is fully rural and spread over about 999.5 square miles, so case managers and contractors travel farther. Calling early helps.
Outdoor stair lifts are built for exterior steps, and a platform lift may fit if a wheelchair is involved. The slope and layout of your lot decide which one works.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
