Conrad was incorporated in 1908, and many of its homes still carry the layout of an early-20th-century Montana farm town: more than one story, with a single interior staircase connecting them. That staircase is often the one thing standing between an older homeowner and the bedroom or bathroom they have always used.
Beyond Conrad, homes are spread across Valier, Heart Butte, New Miami Colony, Brady and Dupuyer, in a county the Census classifies as 100% rural. This page explains which kind of stair lift tends to fit the homes here and which programs can help pay for one.
Most homes here are single-family homes, ranch-style homes, split-level homes, or units in low-rise buildings. Each one calls for a different approach, so we look at the stairs before we talk about any particular model.
An older two-story house with one straight interior staircase is the most common retrofit we see. A straight rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, and usually goes in without remodeling.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels, and some staircases turn or have a landing. Those need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairs, which takes longer to make and costs more than a straight one.
Front porch or entry steps can be handled with an outdoor-rated lift, and where a wheelchair has to come along, a platform lift may be the better fit.
Pondera County covers about 1,640 square miles and has only about 3.7 people per square mile. The Census notes that this limits how far in-person aging and home-modification services reach outside Conrad.
For a family, that means planning ahead. Schedule the home measurement, the funding paperwork and any case-manager visit together where you can, so one trip covers several steps.
About 21.6% of Pondera County residents are 65 or older, and 62.7% own their homes. Owning the home matters, because several programs below, including the USDA repair loans and grants and the VA adapted housing grants, require ownership.
VA help is real but has limits on stair lifts, which we cover in the programs list.
The Montana Big Sky Waiver and Montana Money Follows the Person both cover home modifications, and a stair lift can be approved under that category through a case manager. Neither one names stair lifts directly, and Big Sky slots are limited, so a waitlist is possible.
For homeowners with lower incomes, USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants are worth a call, though the program does not specifically mention stair lifts. Statewide options also include the Montana Assistive Technology Loan (MATL), the Reverse Annuity Mortgage (RAM), Community First Choice Services (CFCS), and the Property Tax Assistance Program (PTAP) & Elderly Homeowner/Renter Credit.
A good first call is the North Central Area Agency on Aging in Conrad at (406) 271-7553. The regional Area III - North Central Montana (Hi-Line) office at 2 West 2nd Street in Havre can be reached at (406) 265-5464. Veterans can contact the Montana Veterans Affairs Division - Great Falls Veterans Service Office at 600 Central Plaza #300, Great Falls, at (406) 452-2265.
Montana's main Medicaid home and community waiver for people 65+ or younger with a qualifying physical disability who meet nursing facility level of care; home modifications are covered and a stair lift can be approved in the service plan. Apply through the North Central Area Agency on Aging, or call (888) 706-1535.
Helps Medicaid members who have lived in a long-term care facility at least 60 consecutive days move back home, and covers home modifications case by case, which can include a stair lift. Call (406) 439-6870.
Offers 1% loans up to $40,000 and, for homeowners 62+ who cannot repay a loan, grants up to $10,000 for repairs and safety fixes in rural areas like Pondera County; the program does not mention stair lifts. Call USDA Rural Development Montana at (406) 585-2580.
The Conrad-based agency for adults 60+ and caregivers, offering information and referral, energy assistance and free Medicare counseling; it does not list a stair lift or home-modification program. Call (406) 271-7553.
A Center for Independent Living with a branch office in Heart Butte that provides referral, peer support and advocacy to people with disabilities of any age; it does not list a stair lift program. Call (406) 452-9834.
Pays $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime toward medically necessary home changes for veterans, but stair glides and porch lifts are specifically excluded. Call (800) 799-4889 for other covered changes.
Grants up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities to buy, build or remodel an accessible home; stair lifts are not specifically named.
Older adults
2 West 2nd Street, Havre, 59501
Veterans
600 Central Plaza #300, Great Falls, 59401
Not through the HISA grant, which explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH and SHA grants fund accessibility remodeling but do not name stair lifts, so ask the Great Falls Veterans Service Office at (406) 452-2265 about your situation.
It can through the Big Sky Waiver, which covers home modifications approved in your service plan. The 2026 income limit is $994 a month for a single applicant, with a $2,000 asset limit, and slots are limited.
The Area Agency on Aging serves people 60 and older, but the Big Sky Waiver accepts people under 65 with a qualifying physical disability. NCILS has no age limit and has a branch office in Heart Butte.
Pondera County is entirely rural, which qualifies homeowners for USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants. In-person services are thinner outside Conrad, so call ahead and group appointments when you can.
Usually, yes. Short straight flights can take a straight rail, while stairs with a turn or landing need a curved rail built to fit, which we measure for during a home visit.
Start with the North Central Area Agency on Aging in Conrad at (406) 271-7553 for referrals, and ask about the Big Sky Waiver application. Then have the stairs measured so you know which lift your home needs.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
