About Us

Peterson Meadows, an independent retirement living community in Rockford, is a program of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI).

LSSI also offers housing opportunities for seniors throughout Illinois, for individuals 62 years of age or older and individuals who are disabled. LSSI has housing communities in Aurora, Batavia, Chicago, Cissna Park, Danville, Decatur, DeKalb, Dolton, Freeport, Joliet, Lansing, Moline, Rochelle, Rockford and Wilmette. In providing high-quality, affordable housing for seniors, LSSI is improving the lives of individuals and strengthening communities.

A History of Service
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) had its beginnings in 1867 with the founding of The Lutheran Home for Children in Andover. An orphanage, The Lutheran Home for Children was the first Lutheran charitable institution in Illinois and one of the earliest in the nation. The first social ministries to which LSSI traces its roots were primarily homes for orphaned children and aging adults.

Since the first home opened, a tradition of caring has been passed on, which now extends through a vast network of social service programs to people of all ages, races, religions and economic classes throughout Illinois.

Today, LSSI reaches out to tens of thousands of people each year. But behind the wide scope of today's services lies a cluster of community-based, church-related missions that arose in response to varying needs in each community. LSSI's history is a tale of grassroots response to human needs by diverse groups of people whose common characteristic was — and is — concern for others. We invite people who share that concern to consider becoming an LSSI volunteer, donor, staff person or advocate by emailing info@LSSI.org.