Use of State Institutions for People with Intellectual Disabilities in Illinois
01/Jan/2006 Keyword(s): Self Advocacy | Research Reports/Briefs
Use of State Institutions for People with Intellectual Disabilities in Illinois (2006). Nelis, T. & Rizzolo, M.
This brief describes residential services in Illinois. It reports the number of people with I/DD in different types of residential settings and compares the cost of institutional care to living in small homes in the community.
This brief describes residential services in Illinois. It reports the number of people with I/DD in different types of residential settings and compares the cost of institutional care to living in small homes in the community.

The first institutional program in Illinois for people with intellectual disabilities was opened in 1865. It was designed to teach skills to people so they could return to the community. The most people living in Illinois institutions was 10,240. This was in 1956. By 2004, there were 2,876 people living in these institutions in Illinois.
There are now nine state-operated institutions in Illinois. They are:
Only three states have more people in state institutions than Illinois (see table on right). Alaska, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia are not listed in the table because they have no state-operated institutions.
Today, people with intellectual disabilities can get residential support in many different kinds of places. The charts on the next page show: 1) how many people live in each kind of setting in Illinois, and 2) the cost per person for two of the settings.


Supported Living is where:
Settings for 7-15 Persons include:
Private 16+ Settings include:
Other Settings for 1-6 Persons include:
State-Operated Institutions
For more information: http://ColemanInstitute.org/stateofthestates/ or call: (303) 492-0639
The State of the States in Developmental Disabilities Project is funded in part by The Administration on Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities. The authors of this brief, Tia Nelis & Mary C. Rizzolo, are affiliated with the University of Illinois at Chicago University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, one of the University of Colorado’s partners in The State of the States in Developmental Disabilities Project.
Download this document HERE.
There are now nine state-operated institutions in Illinois. They are:
- Anna/Choate (Anna)
- Fox (Dwight)
- Kiley (Waukegan)
- Howe (Tinley Park)
- Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
- Ludeman (Park Forest)
- Mabley (Dixon)
- Murray (Centralia)
- Shapiro (Kankakee)
Only three states have more people in state institutions than Illinois (see table on right). Alaska, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia are not listed in the table because they have no state-operated institutions.
Today, people with intellectual disabilities can get residential support in many different kinds of places. The charts on the next page show: 1) how many people live in each kind of setting in Illinois, and 2) the cost per person for two of the settings.


Supported Living is where:
- The person chooses who to live with and where to live
- The place is not owned by a service provider
- The person’s support plan changes as his/her needs change
Settings for 7-15 Persons include:
- Larger Group Homes
Private 16+ Settings include:
- Private Institutions
- Nursing Homes
Other Settings for 1-6 Persons include:
- Group Homes
- Apartments
- Small ICFs/MR
- Foster Care
State-Operated Institutions
- Nine states do not have state-operated institutions
For more information: http://ColemanInstitute.org/stateofthestates/ or call: (303) 492-0639
The State of the States in Developmental Disabilities Project is funded in part by The Administration on Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities. The authors of this brief, Tia Nelis & Mary C. Rizzolo, are affiliated with the University of Illinois at Chicago University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, one of the University of Colorado’s partners in The State of the States in Developmental Disabilities Project.
Download this document HERE.