Moving Forward Program Endorsed as a Bicentennial Legacy Project

INDIANAPOLIS – The Moving Forward Program recently received endorsement from the Indiana Bicentennial Commission (IBC) as a Bicentennial Legacy Project. IBC Executive Director Perry Hammock delivered the news at a workshop last week hosted by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and Energy Systems Network (ESN) for the two development teams selected to participate in the program.

"Projects like this one are important to Indiana’s continuous growth and prosperity,” said Hammock. “While much of the Bicentennial celebration is focused on the past, projects like this one are important as we look towards Indiana’s future.”

The two-day workshop took place at the Indiana Nature Conservancy in Downtown Indianapolis and featured subject matter experts from across the country collaborating around the integration of energy-efficient affordable housing and transportation. The workshop was opened up by Indiana Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann.

“I’m extremely proud of the teams at IHCDA and ESN for their innovative approach to affordable housing,” said Lt. Governor Ellspermann. “What Moving Forward does is recognize that affordability in housing goes beyond paying monthly rent. It includes transportation costs, utilities, and other ancillary expenses.”

The subject matter experts specialized in the built environment, energy efficiency, and supply, systems integration, transportation, and policy and finance. Experts from a number of organizations participated, including Art Center College, Building Green, Duke Energy, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Purdue University, and Vectren Corporation.

“We were fortunate to bring together national experts in affordable housing, energy efficiency, and transportation,” said Paul Mitchell, president, and CEO of ESN. “As a result of this program and our partnership with IHCDA, we may see as many as 100 families who could benefit from the innovative solutions in affordable housing and transportation that will be developed out of the Moving Forward program.”

"In my five decades of experience in attending urban planning and design workshops, this was one of the best workshops I’ve attended,” said Carl Worthington, director of urban design for OZ Architecture and founder of Carl A. Worthington & Associates, a subject matter expert in the workshop. “From the incredible talent in the room to the level of organization by ESN, to the sheer volume of innovative work that was accomplished, the Moving Forward workshop created the potential for some groundbreaking work for the future of affordable housing.” Worthington has an extensive portfolio of urban design projects, including Boulder Downtown Pearl Street Mall in Colorado.

At the conclusion of the workshop, the development teams shared their preliminary design concepts with the subject matter experts and Lt. Governor Ellspermann. Following the creation of their full development concepts, both teams will be able to submit Rental Housing Tax Credit (RHTC) applications of up to $750,000 each under the General Set-aside* in July 2016.

First announced at the 2015 Indiana Housing Conference, Moving Forward was designed to create housing that increases the quality of life while decreasing the cost of living for low to moderate-income individuals and families.

Click for more information about the Moving Forward program.

*Per the Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP, IHCDA will reserve 10% of its RHTC for the IHCDA General Set-aside. Under this set-aside, IHCDA reserves credits for developments that further the Authority’s mission, goals, initiatives, and priorities irrespective of the ranking by evaluation factors. The QAP states that the Authority will exercise its sole discretion in the allocation of the IHCDA General Set-aside.