Assisted Living in Illinois: A Family Guide

Facts checked October 16, 2026 against official Illinois sources

What assisted living is called in Illinois, what it costs, how Medicaid can help, how to check a community’s license and inspections, and who to call if something goes wrong. Every fact links to the official source.

Licensed by

Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Office of Health Care Regulation, Division of Assisted Living¹

Licensed communities on Lilisity

711 assisted living, 363 with memory care

Medicaid help

Yes: Supportive Living Program (HFS waiver)²

Typical cost

$6,219 a month (state median, CareScout 2025)

Long-term care ombudsman

1-800-252-8966³

File a complaint

800-252-4343⁴

What assisted living is called in Illinois

• Assisted living establishmentIllinois's licensed assisted living, licensed by IDPH under the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act. It houses at least 3 unrelated adults, at least 80% of them 55 or older, and gives help with daily activities and health-related services around the clock if needed.⁵
• Shared housing establishmentA smaller home licensed by IDPH under the same Act, for 16 or fewer residents, at least 80% of them 55 or older.⁵
• Supportive living facility (SLF)Part of the Supportive Living Program run by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), an alternative to nursing home care for low-income older adults and people with physical disabilities. Medicaid pays for the services; the resident pays room and board.²

Memory care rules

An assisted living or shared housing establishment that runs an Alzheimer and dementia program must meet the extra rules in Section 150 of the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act on top of the rest of the Act.⁵

Questions to ask memory care about nights.

What assisted living costs in Illinois

The median cost of assisted living in Illinois is $6,219 a month, above the national median of $6,200 (CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, collected July to November 2025). Prices vary with the apartment, the level of care and the community, so ask each one for its current rate sheet, including care-level fees.

If more care is needed later: nursing home costs in Illinois, with CareScout medians and the private-pay rates Illinois nursing homes publish.

Plan with our free tools: how long will the money last? and home care or assisted living?

Paying for assisted living in Illinois

Medicare does not pay for assisted living. Families pay from savings and income, long-term care insurance, or benefits such as VA Aid and Attendance (estimate it). Who actually pays for long-term care.

Medicaid. Illinois Medicaid pays for services such as personal care, homemaking, laundry and medication help in supportive living facilities through a federal waiver. The resident pays room and board. Program: Supportive Living Program (HFS waiver).² Medicaid does not pay rent or meals in assisted living in any state, and not every community accepts it, so ask each one.

How to check a community in Illinois

Look up a license. IDPH's facility lookup lists every licensed assisted living and shared housing establishment, with its license and survey history. Search Illinois’s records.⁶

Inspection reports. IDPH must visit each assisted living and shared housing establishment unannounced every year. Its facility lookup lists each establishment's surveys and posts the statements of deficiencies, some with the plan of correction, as PDFs.⁷

Lilisity shows Illinois’s inspection record on each community’s page where the state publishes one: the state’s own records, dated and linked to the official source.

Always visit in person, at a mealtime or in the evening if you can. Bring the tour scorecard and the 8 tour questions.

If something goes wrong

Complaints about care or conditions. IDPH's Central Complaint Registry takes complaints about assisted living facilities by phone, mail, fax, email or online. The hotline answers around the clock, and you can stay anonymous. Call 800-252-4343 or file online.⁴

Abuse, neglect or exploitation. Call 800-252-4343. How to report.⁴ If someone is in danger, call 911.

The long-term care ombudsman is a free advocate for residents of assisted living and nursing homes: they help resolve problems with a community, including move-out notices. Call 1-800-252-8966 or find your local ombudsman.³

Find assisted living in Illinois

Assisted living by city

Memory care by city

Every community and county in Illinois · 10 with verified resident testimonials

Sources

1. Licensing agency (dph.illinois.gov)
2. Medicaid, license types (hfs.illinois.gov)
3. Ombudsman (ilaging.illinois.gov)
4. Complaints, reporting abuse (dph.illinois.gov)
5. License types, memory care rules (ilga.gov)
6. License lookup (llcs.dph.illinois.gov)
7. Inspection reports (llcs.dph.illinois.gov)
8. CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 (state medians)

Facts checked against these official sources on October 16, 2026. Rules and programs change; confirm with the agency before making a decision. General information, not legal or financial advice.