Rock County sits in the far southwestern corner of Minnesota, with South Dakota on one side and Iowa on the other. Most homes are in and around Luverne, Hills, Jasper and Beaver Creek, or out on farms spread across the prairie between the Rock River and Beaver Creek.
Luverne grew up around locally quarried Sioux Quartzite, the hard pink and red stone you still see on older buildings and houses there. Many of those town homes and the brick and quartzite farmhouses around the county still have their original interior stairways. This page walks through what that means for a stair lift and where to look for help paying for one.
Landmarks like the 1892 Hinkly House, a Queen Anne Victorian mansion built from quartzite out of Hinkly's own quarry, show the kind of multi-story homes that went up in Luverne's early years. Plenty of everyday houses from that era share the same layout: a main floor, bedrooms upstairs, and a stairway that was never built with a lift in mind.
If the staircase runs straight from bottom to top, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest fit. Stairs that turn at a landing or wind partway up need a curved rail made to match that exact staircase. We measure the stairs in person before recommending either one.
Not every house in Rock County is a century old. Single-family homes here also include split-level homes and ranch-style homes, and each one brings its own stair question.
A split-level home often has several short flights between levels, so the question is which flight matters most for daily life. In a ranch-style home, the main stairs usually lead to the basement, where the laundry or a spare bedroom may sit. A straight lift on that one flight can keep the whole house usable.
Rural farmhouses such as the 1878-79 Pierce J. Kniss House and the Jacob Nuffer Farmstead, built between the 1880s and 1900, are reminders that many county homes sit well outside town. On a farm, the trouble often starts before the indoor stairs, with porch steps or an entry raised above the yard.
The prairie here is gently sloping but cut by streams, and that can make outdoor access harder than it looks. An outdoor stair lift is built for weather on exterior steps, and a platform lift can help when someone uses a wheelchair. Ramps are another option worth comparing for a short rise.
In Luverne, 24.2% of residents were 65 or older as of the 2020 census. About 15.5% of county households had someone 65 or older living alone, which means a lot of people handle the stairs with no one else in the house.
About 72.7% of residents are homeowners, so most people can make permanent changes like a stair lift without asking a landlord. Because the county is rural and agriculture-based, local funding and the number of contractors are limited, so it helps to start the paperwork early.
No program listed here names stair lifts as a covered item, so ask each one directly before you count on it. Several do fund home modifications or repairs in general, and those are the best places to start.
For older adults, the Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433 can explain the Elderly Waiver, which lists home modifications as a benefit. Low-income homeowners can call SMOC at (507) 376-4195 about its forgivable loans. Veterans should talk with Rock County Veterans Services at the courthouse in Luverne, (507) 283-5061. Note that the VA HISA grant excludes stair glides.
A state Medicaid waiver for residents 65 and older who need a nursing facility level of care. Home modifications are a covered category, but stair lifts are not named and slots are limited; call the Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433.
Provides information, assistance and referral, Medicare counseling and caregiver support for older adults and caregivers in the Southwest Minnesota Planning and Service Area, which includes Rock County. It does not mention stair lifts or home-modification grants; call (507) 387-1256.
Loans up to $37,500 per property for low-income homeowners in Murray, Nobles, Pipestone and Rock counties, forgiven if you keep owning and living in the home. Stair lifts are not named as an eligible item; call (507) 376-4195.
Offers free accessibility assessments and modular wooden ramps and low-rise steps for people with disabilities in southwest Minnesota. Stair lifts are not mentioned; call (507) 532-2221 to confirm Rock County service.
Repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest, and grants up to $10,000 lifetime for homeowners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan, for very-low-income owners in rural areas. Stair lifts are not specifically listed.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary home alterations. It does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides and porch lifts are excluded; Rock County Veterans Services at (507) 283-5061 can help with other options.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) in FY2026 for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities. Stair lifts are not named among covered changes; ask Rock County Veterans Services at (507) 283-5061.
Older adults
2401 Broadway Ave., Suite 4, Slayton, 56172
Veterans
Rock County Courthouse PO Box 509, Luverne, 56156
Usually, yes. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the walls, so the stone or brick exterior is not the issue. What matters is whether the stairs run straight or turn, which decides between a straight and a curved lift.
No. The HISA source states that stair glides and porch lifts are excluded. A veteran may still want to ask Rock County Veterans Services at (507) 283-5061 about the SAH and SHA grants, though those do not name stair lifts either.
The Elderly Waiver is for people 65 and older. The USDA Section 504 grant is for homeowners 62 and older, and its repair loans have no age listed. SWCIL serves people with disabilities regardless of the age limits above.
SMOC loans are forgiven if you keep owning and living in the home and do not transfer it during the term, which is 15 years for standard homes. You must be current on property taxes and your mortgage, and assets are limited to $25,000.
The Southwest Minnesota AAA in Slayton at (507) 532-3260 or the Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433 are good starting points for older adults anywhere in the county. Rural homes are also the focus of the USDA Section 504 program.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
