Raton grew up on coal mining and the railroad, and a lot of the houses in town and in places like Springer, Cimarron and Maxwell still date from that boom era of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many were built on more than one level with narrow floor plans and interior stairs that nobody designed with aging in place in mind.
Colfax County covers about 3,768 square miles, from prairies and piñon forests up to alpine meadows in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains around Angel Fire and Eagle Nest. With homes spread out and help often a long drive away, a stair lift can be the change that lets someone keep living on every floor of the house they already own.
Raton is full of historic property, from the 1932 Art Deco Colfax County Courthouse to numerous buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The houses from that same era tend to have steep, narrow staircases tucked between walls, which matters when we plan a lift.
A straight staircase with no landing is usually the simplest job. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster and original trim in an older house are left alone.
Split-level homes are common here too, with short runs of stairs between floors. Each short run can take its own straight lift, or a curved rail can follow a turn so the rider stays seated the whole way.
The county's housing also includes single-family homes, ranch-style homes, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings. A ranch-style home may have no interior stairs at all, but it often has steps up to the porch or down to a basement.
For entry steps, an outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather, which counts at higher elevations in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a few steps, a platform lift can be the better fit than a seat.
In walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, the stairway is often shared. Talk with the building owner before planning a lift there, since the rail will sit in a common area.
The 2020 census found that 54.6% of Colfax County residents live outside urban areas. That means longer trips to contractors and to medical care, and a fall on the stairs can be harder to recover from when the clinic is far away.
About 26.7% of residents are 65 or older, and 69.6% own their homes. For a homeowner who plans to stay put, a stair lift is often a smaller project than moving a bedroom downstairs or selling the house.
Population fell from 13,750 in 2010 to 12,387 in 2020, and the county has fewer nearby specialized accessibility installers. If you are helping a parent from out of town, it helps to gather stair measurements and photos early so the visit can be planned efficiently.
The VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant and VA Special Home Adaptation (SHA) Grant fund home modifications for qualifying service-connected disabilities, though the VA source we have does not name stair lifts specifically. Statewide, there are also VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics).
Non-veterans can look at New Mexico programs, including Medicaid waiver environmental modification benefits and Access Loan New Mexico (NM Technology Assistance Program). The Non-Metro AAA (Region I) in Santa Fe, at (505) 827-7640, can help sort out which option fits.
For veteran questions, the New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services – Northeast Region Supervisor in Las Vegas can be reached at (505) 331-8838. The program details are listed below.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026 maximum) for veterans and service members with qualifying service-connected disabilities to buy, build or structurally modify a home they own or will own; the VA source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call the New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services – Northeast Region Supervisor at (505) 331-8838 for help applying.
A smaller companion grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026 maximum) for veterans and service members with qualifying disabilities such as loss or loss of use of both hands or severe burns; the VA source does not mention stair lifts specifically. The New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services – Northeast Region Supervisor can be reached at (505) 331-8838.
Older adults
2550 Cerrillos Rd., Santa Fe, 87505
Veterans
917 Douglas Ave, Las Vegas, 87701
Often, yes. Many homes from the coal-mining and railroad era have narrow interior stairs, and a stair lift rail mounts to the treads, so we measure the width and the turns to see which model fits.
An outdoor stair lift is made for exterior steps and weather, which matters in the mountain parts of the county. For a wheelchair user, a platform lift may suit the entry better.
The VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant and VA Special Home Adaptation (SHA) Grant cover home modifications for qualifying disabilities, but the VA text we have does not name stair lifts. Call the New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services – Northeast Region Supervisor at (505) 331-8838 to ask about your case.
Start with the Non-Metro AAA (Region I) at (505) 827-7640. They can point you toward New Mexico options such as Access Loan New Mexico (NM Technology Assistance Program).
We do not have a VA facility listed for the county. The nearest veterans office in our records is the Northeast Region Supervisor at 917 Douglas Ave in Las Vegas.
Each short run can get its own straight lift, or a curved rail can carry the rider around a turn without changing seats. We decide after measuring every run.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
