L’Arche Chicago joins more than 135 other communities in 36 countries to form The International Federation of L’Arche. The communities encompass 5000 people with and without an intellectual disability, speaking more than 20 languages who share their lives in homes, workshops and day programs. The Federation is organized into nine Zones: Africa, Asia-West Pacific, Canada, France, Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern Europe, Southern Europe and the Middle East, Southern Asia and the USA.

L’Arche Chicago is a member of the Central Region of the US Zone of L’Arche International. The first community in the United States was founded in 1972 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Today, the US Zone includes 16 communities and two projects spread across the country and organized into three geographical zones. The Central Region includes The Arch (L’Arche Clinton, IA), L'Arche Chicago, L’Arche Heartland (Overland Park, KS), L’Arche Harbor House (Jacksonville, FL), L’Arche Mobile (AL) and two projects: St. Louis (MO) and Atlanta (GA).

L’Arche International has its roots in the foundation of the first L’Arche community in 1964 in Trosly-Breuil, a village north of Paris. Following the suggestion of his mentor Father Thomas Philippe, a Dominican priest, Jean Vanier, son of a former Governor General of Canada, decided to invite Raphaël Simi and Philippe Seux to live with him in a small house which he named L’Arche, the French word for the Ark.

In the 1960s, the rapidly growing community in Trosly attracted young people from all over the world who were keen to share their everyday life with a growing number of people with an intellectual disability. Although not planned or foreseen by Jean Vanier, it was only a matter of time before others decided to draw on the vision of L’Arche and to create a L’Arche community in his hometown or country. As this organic growth continued and accelerated, L’Arche organized itself as an international federation. Recently L’Arche International has guided the communities of the Federation in discerning a new Identity and Mission.

"L’Arche International has the responsibility to develop, articulate and nurture a common vision of the spirituality of L’Arche and its identity and mission, and to articulate the principles on which L’Arche projects and programmes can be developed. The responsibility for implementing this vision and these principles lies with the local level, and the interpretation and adaptation is validated by International. International also has the responsibility to represent L’Arche with international organisations and Church and religious authorities. It represents L’Arche in those countries where there is no national body."
~from the International Coordinators’ report to the 2008 General Assembly

Every L’Arche community offers people—regardless of intellectual level—a community of faith and mutual relationship where each one is encouraged to develop talents, to create home, to build friendships and quite simply, to make the most of life! L’Arche communities are also places of welcome and support for families and friends, volunteers and neighbors, churches and other social service groups. L'Arche is working actively to inspire social change through the example of the way we live daily life, our outreach and education programs and the testimony of core members, assistants (current and former), board members and friends who have experienced this vision and share it with enthusiasm.