Housing

For help in choosing or applying for any of these programs, contact the nearest Veteran Service Officer. Our VSO'?s are ready and willing to assist in determining your eligibility, discussing available options, and submitting the appropriate applications.

IDVA provides quality skilled care and a homelike environment to aging veterans at each of our five Veterans' Homes. Veterans who served during a period of war are given precedence in admission, though peacetime veterans, spouses, surviving spouses, and Gold Star parents are also eligible. OTHER QUALIFYING CONDITIONS MUST ALSO BE MET. Since each of the Veterans' Homes is unique, each Home provides a special brochure describing the services available. Learn more about each of our Homes.

The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Prince Home at Manteno is a residential program for homeless and disabled veterans. Opened in 2007, the Prince Home at Manteno provides housing and supportive services for homeless Illinois veterans, helping them cope with Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), substance abuse, and other challenges. To learn more about Prince Home at Manteno, click here.

The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs is committed to serving and assisting those Illinois veterans seeking mortgage assistance, as well as resources to assist those experiencing difficulty with mortgage payments. Download the list of official resources by clicking here: Veteran Mortgage Assistance Resources.pdf

The Returning Veterans' Homestead Exemption provides qualifying veterans a one-time $5,000 reduction to their homes' equalized assessed value (EAV). Qualifying veterans who return from active duty in an armed conflict involving the U.S. armed forces can file an application upon their return home to receive this exemption. To apply for this exemption, please contact or visit your local County Assessor's Office.

The Disabled Veterans' Standard Homestead Exemption provides a reduction in a property's EAV to a qualifying property owned by a veteran with a service-connected disability. Beginning in tax year 2015, a $2,500 homestead exemption is available to a veteran with a service-connected disability of at least 30% but less than 50%; a $5,000 homestead exemption is available to a veteran with a service connected disability of at least 50% but less than 70%; veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 70% are exempt from paying property taxes on their primary residence.  This exemption is available to the unmarried surviving spouse of a service connected veteran provided that the veteran was in receipt of the exemption prior to his/her death.  Additionally, beginning in tax year 2015 and thereafter, the unmarried surviving spouse of a service member killed in the line of duty is exempt from paying property taxes on the primary residence.  Once approved, qualifying veterans and surviving spouses must file an annual application by their counties' deadlines to continue to receive this exemption. To apply for this exemption, please contact or visit your local County Assessor's Office.

This exemption is allowed on the assessed value of real property for which federal funds have been used for the purchase or construction of specially adapted housing; the exemption is valid for as long as the veteran, the spouse, or the unmarried surviving spouse resides on the property. Federal and state financial assistance is provided for service-connected disabled veterans for the purpose of acquiring or remodeling suitable dwelling units with special fixtures or moveable facilities made necessary by the veteran's permanent and total service-connected disabilities as determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs. For further information, please contact your local Veteran Service Officer.

Veterans are exempt from the full amount of the mobile home tax. This exemption applies to the tax levied by each county to the owner of a mobile home that meet all of the following criteria: 1) Mobile home must be owned and used exclusively by a disabled veteran; 2) spouse or unmarried surviving spouse as their primary residence; 3) the disabled veteran must have been awarded the Specially Adapted Housing Grant by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for a primary residence that they owned and resided in prior to purchase of the mobile home; 4) and the disabled veteran, spouse or unmarried surviving spouse must be a permanent resident of the State of Illinois on January 1 of the tax year for which the exemption is being claimed. Contact your county tax assessor's office or please contact your local Veteran Service Officer for further information.