SOUTHERN ILLINOIS CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING

What SOUTHERN ILLINOIS CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING does

Southern Illinois Center for Independent Living (SICIL) is a non-profit, consumer-controlled organization founded in 1985 and headquartered in Carbondale, Illinois. It provides peer-based independent living services to people with disabilities across 13 counties in Southern Illinois, delivered through a network of four offices located in Carbondale, Harrisburg, Metropolis, and Cairo. The majority of its staff and Board of Directors are persons with disabilities, which structures service delivery around lived-experience peer support rather than clinical or caseworker models.

SICIL's core service offerings include Personal Assistant Services, Peer Counseling, Sensory Impaired Services, Individualized Services, a Community Reintegration Program, and broader Community Services. It also functions as a downstream delivery channel for external programs, notably distributing telecommunications equipment through a partnership with the Illinois Telecommunication Access Corporation (ITAC) and operating a Food Distribution Partnership to address food insecurity among consumers.

The organization's business model is that of a federally-designated Center for Independent Living: services are provided free of charge to consumers and are funded through a mix of federal, state, and local grants, donations, and public funding streams. There is no transactional revenue model, no per-service pricing, and no disclosed revenue figure. SICIL does not develop or sell technology products, and its value proposition rests entirely on human-delivered, locally-embedded social services rather than on a software or platform layer.

Name

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING

Legal name

Southern Illinois Center for Independent Living

Website

https://sicil1.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SICIL is a Carbondale, Illinois-based non-profit founded in 1985 that delivers free, peer-based independent living services to people with disabilities across 13 Southern Illinois counties, operated from four offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Living Services for People with Disabilities

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG), Accessibility, Accommodations & Assistive Services (EDALAFAN)

Keywords

• Independent living services
• Disability advocacy support
• Peer counseling services
• Community reintegration programs
• Sensory impairment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Carbondale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Free Community Services: SICIL provides all services at no charge to eligible consumers. As a nonprofit organization, services are funded through grants, donations, and public funding rather than direct revenue from consumers. Services are provided without discrimination regardless of age, gender, race, sexual preference, or type of disability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SICIL provides free, peer-provided independent living services to Southern Illinoisans with disabilities, including peer counseling, independent living skills training, personal assistant recruitment and referral, sensory impairment support (visual and auditory), nursing home community reintegration, advocacy, and accessibility/ADA technical assistance for community organizations. Services are delivered through offices in Carbondale, Harrisburg, Metropolis, and Cairo, and are funded through grants, donations, and public funding rather than fees charged to consumers.

Product overview

SICIL is a community-based nonprofit organization providing a portfolio of independent living services to Southern Illinoisans with disabilities. The core offerings include: Sensory Impaired Services (for visual and auditory impairments), Personal Assistant Services (recruitment and referral of personal assistants), Individualized Services (peer counseling, skills training, and information/referral), Community Reintegration Program (transitioning from nursing homes to community living), Community Services (public education, technical assistance, advocacy, accessibility surveys, mediation, and equipment loans), and Peer Counseling (peer-provided support and role modeling). Services are peer-provided, with the majority of staff and the Board of Directors being persons with disabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sensory Impaired Services Services for individuals with visual or auditory impairments, including visual assessments, assistive devices, vision/hearing training, support groups, and referrals to resources such as amplified or modified phones through ITAC.
• Personal Assistant Services Program providing recruitment, pre-screening, and referral of personal assistants to consumers who require assistance to maintain their community living status, along with training and mediation services.
• Individualized Services Services including peer counseling, independent living skills training, and information and referral to help individuals with disabilities achieve self-reliance and independence.
• Community Reintegration Program Services helping people with disabilities under age 60 transition from nursing homes back to community living, including service coordination, assistance with housing costs, equipment purchases, and training for independence.
• Community Services Services including public education, technical assistance for accessibility, advocacy, accessibility surveys, mediation between consumers and businesses, and equipment loans for consumers and community entities.
• Peer Counseling One-on-one or group support in which persons with disabilities provide role modeling and share coping mechanisms to help others with disabilities become more self-sufficient.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Illinois Telecommunication Access Corporation (ITAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSICIL serves as a testing and selection center for ITAC, where persons who are not able to hear on their regular phone system may come in, view, test, and select amplified or modified phones at no charge. This partnership removes communication barriers for consumers with hearing impairments.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Access Living: A Chicago-based Center for Independent Living serving people with disabilities in metropolitan Illinois. Directly comparable as a peer-led, nonprofit CIL providing independent living services, advocacy, and disability support under the same national Independent Living Movement framework as SICIL.
• Progress Center for Independent Living: A suburban Chicago CIL providing peer counseling, advocacy, and independent living services to people with disabilities. Operates the same consumer-controlled model as SICIL within a different Illinois service territory, making it a directly comparable mission and service peer.
• Life Center for Independent Living: A Waukegan, IL-based CIL serving Lake County and surrounding areas with peer-provided independent living services. Closely comparable to SICIL in operating model (peer-provided, four core services) and funding structure (state/federal grants).
• The Independence Center: A Colorado Springs-based CIL serving people with disabilities across southern Colorado with independent living skills training, advocacy, and community reintegration services. Highly comparable to SICIL in service mix, peer-led philosophy, and multi-county regional scope.
• Rolling Start, Inc. A Southern California-based CIL serving San Bernardino and Riverside counties with peer-provided independent living services. Directly comparable to SICIL in service portfolio (peer counseling, personal assistance, advocacy, community reintegration) and regional rural/mixed-geography service model.

Others

• Equip for Equality: An Illinois-based nonprofit providing independent advocacy services for people with disabilities, including ADA enforcement support. Operates in the same state funding ecosystem and serves overlapping disability populations but focuses on legal advocacy rather than direct independent living services.
• National Council on Independent Living (NCIL): The national membership organization representing Centers for Independent Living, including SICIL. Provides policy advocacy, training, and convening for the CIL network — an upstream peer that influences federal funding and policy affecting SICIL's operating environment.
• Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois: The federally mandated state body that develops the State Plan for Independent Living in Illinois, influencing how Title VII funds are distributed to CILs including SICIL. A peer in the funding and policy ecosystem rather than a service peer.
• Disability Rights Illinois: Illinois's Protection and Advocacy system providing legal advocacy and rights protection for people with disabilities. Comparable ecosystem participant — not a direct service peer but operates in the same Illinois disability services funding and policy environment as SICIL.
• Illinois Department of Human Services / Division of Rehabilitation Services: The primary state funding source for Illinois CILs including SICIL, providing vocational rehabilitation and independent living grants. Not a peer in service delivery but a key counterpart in the funding chain that SICIL depends on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-illinois-center-for-independent-living

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SOUTHERN ILLINOIS CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING