Jackson County sits in far southern Minnesota along the Iowa border, with the Des Moines River running south through the middle of it. Homes in Jackson, Lakefield, Heron Lake and Okabena, and the farmhouses scattered between them, were mostly built as multi-story houses with their original stairways still in place.
Those stairways are often the first thing that gets hard as people get older. A stair lift lets someone keep using the bedroom and bathroom upstairs, or the laundry in the basement, without moving out of a house they have owned for years. This page covers which kind of lift fits the homes here and where county residents can look for help paying for one.
Most homes in the county are owner-occupied single-family homes and detached houses, the kind typical of small rural Minnesota towns and farmsteads. Older homes and farmhouses are common outside the incorporated cities, and many still have the stairway they were built with.
A straight staircase with no turns is the simplest job, and many older two-story houses have one. Stairs that turn at a landing, or older stairways with a winder at the top or bottom, usually need a curved rail built to fit that exact staircase.
Split-level homes bring their own question. Each short flight is often straight, but a person may need to get between several levels, so we look at which flights matter most for daily life before recommending anything.
The county's terrain is hilly and cut by drainages and gullies, so some homes sit above the yard or the driveway with a run of outdoor steps to the door. An outdoor stair lift built for weather can handle those steps, and for someone using a wheelchair a vertical platform lift may be the better fit.
Townhouses usually have a straight interior flight that suits a standard lift. Walk-up apartments are different, since a shared stairway generally needs the building owner's approval before anything can be installed.
About 24.5% of residents are 65 or older, and about 77.5% of households own their home. That pairing is why so many families here are asking how to stay in the house rather than how to find a new one.
Nearly everyone in the county lives in a rural setting. That typically means longer drives to specialized home-modification contractors and medical providers, so it helps to plan a lift before a fall or a hospital stay forces a rushed decision.
None of the programs below names stair lifts specifically in the sources we reviewed, and one VA grant excludes them outright. Even so, several fund accessibility work or help you find funding, so they are worth a phone call.
For older adults on Medical Assistance, Des Moines Valley Health and Human Services in Jackson handles MnCHOICES assessments for the Elderly Waiver and CADI. Homeowners with limited income can ask about the Minnesota Housing rehabilitation loan, which allows up to $37,500 for accessibility improvements, and the USDA Section 504 program for rural homes.
Veterans should start with the Jackson County Veterans Service Office at (507) 847-4774.
State waivers for people who need nursing-facility level of care, with budgets set case by case through a MnCHOICES support plan. The disability waivers cover home modifications such as ramps and wheelchair lifts, but stair lifts are not listed by name; call (507) 847-4000.
A free information, options-counseling and referral service for older adults and caregivers, and Jackson County is one of its member counties. No stair lift or home-modification grant is listed; call (507) 387-1256.
The county lead agency that does MnCHOICES assessments and case management for the Elderly Waiver, CADI and other programs, including senior services for lower income residents over 65 at risk of nursing home care. Stair lifts are not listed specifically; call (507) 847-4000.
Loans up to $37,500 per household for owner-occupants who meet income limits and have assets of no more than $25,000, covering safety and accessibility improvements. Stair lifts are not named; call (651) 296-7608.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older, for very-low-income owners in rural areas, which covers nearly all of Jackson County. Grants target health and safety hazards and stair lifts are not named; call (800) 670-6553.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary home alterations. The VA lists stair glides as excluded removable equipment, so this grant does not cover stair lifts; call (800) 827-1000.
Grants up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026, for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities. The VA describes general accessibility changes but does not name stair lifts; call (800) 827-1000.
Free benefits counseling and claims help for veterans and dependents in the county, including HISA, SAH/SHA and pension benefits. No stair lift benefit is itemized; call (507) 847-4774.
Serves people with disabilities, including seniors, in a 10-county area that includes Jackson County, with a ramp program, assistive technology and CDCS support planning. Stair lifts are not mentioned by name; call (507) 532-2221.
Older adults
2401 Broadway Ave., Suite 4, Slayton, 56172
Veterans
401 West Street, Door #2, Jackson, 56143
Yes, in most cases. Stairs with a turn or landing usually need a curved rail made to fit that staircase, while a straight flight with no turns takes a standard straight rail.
Not through the HISA grant, which lists stair glides as excluded equipment. The SAH and SHA grants fund broader accessibility changes but do not name stair lifts, so ask the Jackson County Veterans Service Office at (507) 847-4774, located at 401 West Street, Door #2, in Jackson.
The Elderly Waiver serves residents 65 and older who need nursing-facility level of care and meet Medical Assistance limits. Des Moines Valley Health and Human Services at (507) 847-4000 does the assessments, though stair lifts are not listed as a covered item by name.
Nearly all of Jackson County counts as rural for the USDA Section 504 program. You must own and live in the home and meet very-low-income limits, and the grant portion is for homeowners 62 and older; call (800) 670-6553.
The Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging at (507) 387-1256 offers free options counseling for Jackson County residents. The Southwest Minnesota AAA in Slayton is also listed at (507) 532-3260.
Outdoor stair lifts are made for that, and many homes here sit on hilly lots with steps outside. If the person uses a wheelchair, a vertical platform lift is usually worth comparing.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
