Evaluation of Energy Systems Network's Moving Forward Initiative in Indiana: Initial Program Outcomes and Potential Impacts

Abstract

In late 2019, with support from the Lilly Endowment Inc., Energy Systems Network (ESN) asked the RAND Corporation to conduct an evaluation of its Moving Forward (MF) program. Moving Forward seeks to improve the multifamily affordable housing produced in Indiana by integrating energy efficiency, transportation, and access to services into the housing design and construction process. This evaluation is intended to help ESN understand how MF has performed since the launch of its first phase in 2015, to allow ESN to continue to track performance as MF matures, and to provide insight into the potential replicability of the MF model.This report is intended for several audiences. The first is ESN and its parent organization, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), to support assessment of their own programmatic activities and apply lessons learned to MF and other related future initiatives. The evaluation may also be of interest to government agencies and organizations that fund, develop, and support affordable housing in Indiana and nationally, including the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), housing developers, and nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. The report builds on a substantial body of work in program evaluation by RAND, including an evaluation of the MacArthur Foundation's investment in energy efficiency as a means to preserve and improve the existing stock of affordable rental housing in the United States (Schwartz et al., 2018). Community Health and Environmental Policy ProgramRAND Social and Economic Well-Being is a division of the RAND Corporation that seeks to actively improve the health and social and economic well-being of populations and communities throughout the world. This research was conducted in the Community Health and Environmental Policy Program within RAND Social and Economic Well-Being. The program focuses on such topics as infrastructure, science and technology, community design, community health promotion, migration and population dynamics, transportation, energy, and climate and the environment, as well as other policy concerns that are influenced by the natural and built environment, technology, and community organizations and institutions that affect well-being. For more information, email