Energy Efficiency as a Tool for Preservation of Affordable Rental Housing: Evaluation of the Efficiency Emphasis in the MacArthur Foundation's Window of Opportunity Initiative

Schwartz, Heather L.; Curtright, Aimee E.; Ogletree, Cordaye; Thornton, Elizabeth; Jonsson, Lisa

doi:10.7249/rr2293

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(14 reference statements)

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“…These disproportionate financial burdens on low-income families have not gone unnoticed. There are a growing number of examples of efforts to seize on the benefits of energy efficiency (EE) or renewable energy (RE) to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for low-income families and resources to support the increased uptake of EE and RE in affordable housing (Schwartz et al, 2018;EPA, 2018). The potential to ease the overall financial burden on low-income families by lowering transportation costs has also been recognized (DOT, 2015;Jahan and Hamidi, 2020).…”

Section: Elements Of the Cost Of Living For Low-income Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2017, RAND evaluated outcomes from EE investments of the MacArthur Foundation's Window of Opportunity Program, which funded activities intended to leverage energy efficiency to preserve privately owned, affordable multifamily rental housing. At the time of the first wave of these investments, specifically between 2012 and 2015, cross-sector partnerships and knowledge sharing between affordable housing, environmental, and other sectors (e.g., traditional finance) was a novel concept, and the initiative served to increase visibility for and investments in energy efficiency for affordable housing (Schwartz et al, 2018). Consistent with these findings, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) found that multifamily housing has historically been "relatively underserved compared with single-family and commercial buildings" by energy efficiency programs but that awareness and support has been growing in recent years (Samarripas, York, and Ross, 2017).…”

Section: Other Relevant Programs and Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…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).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Burger¹,

Curtright²,

DeWeese³

et al. 2021

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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

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Section: Elements Of the Cost Of Living For Low-income Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Other Relevant Programs and Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Burger¹,

Curtright²,

DeWeese³

et al. 2021

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“…The literature provides evidence to suggest that investments in utility efficiency of residential building will yield benefits to AH policy (Reina & Kontokosta, 2017;Schwartz et al, 2018). The benefits of GB are largely understood, however there is much less understanding on how GB affects the 'affordability' of rental housing, particularly in the case of Australia.…”

Section: Green Affordable Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green building, split-incentives and affordable rental housing policy

et al. 2019

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We investigate the notion of capitalizing on investments in energy, water and gas efficiency within the context of affordable rental housing subsidy schemes; how associated utility savings offer a means to deliver policy designed to mitigate for issues of split-incentives. An Australian case study representing a typical affordable housing development is analyzed for two scenarios -a 'Business as usual' and 'Green-certified' case. Over a 10-year rental tenancy, operational utility efficiencies, achieved through green building principles are modelled to reduce total housing costs by 1.7-3.8% (AUD $5-18 per week), for one-and four-person households, respectively. Over the building lifecycle, the net present value of improvements are forecasted to be positive, signalling favourable support for policy interventions. The findings provide evidence to support a broader notion of 'housing assistance' to one that includes improved standards on residential utility efficiency. We present three policy options on how to deliver these benefits to stakeholders.

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“…Tepid wage growth and increased demand for rental housing have contributed to this dynamic, but the expiration of subsidies on privately owned, publicly subsidized rental properties is also reducing the stock of affordable housing nationwide (Schwartz et al, 2016). Thousands of additional units of subsidized housing are nearing the end of affordability restriction periods.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Preserving Neighborhood Opportunity: Where Federal Housing Subsidies Expire

Lens

Reina

2016

Housing Policy Debate

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Rent burdens are increasing in U.S. metropolitan areas while subsidies on privately owned, publicly subsidized rental units are expiring. As a result, some of the few remaining affordable units in opportunity neighborhoods are at risk of being converted to market rate. Policy makers face a decision about whether to devote their efforts and scarce resources toward developing new affordable housing, recapitalizing existing subsidized housing, and/or preserving properties with expiring subsidies. There are several reasons to preserve these subsidies, one being that properties may be located in neighborhoods with greater opportunity. In this article, we use several sources of data at the census tract level to learn how subsidy expirations affect neighborhood opportunity for low-income households. Our analysis presents several key findings. First, we find that units that left the project-based Section 8 program were – on average – in lower opportunity neighborhoods, but these neighborhoods were improving. In addition, properties due to expiry from the Section 8 program between 2011 and 2020 are in higher opportunity neighborhoods than any other subsidy program. On the contrary, new Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units were developed in tracts similar to those where LIHTC units are currently active, which tend to be lower opportunity neighborhoods.

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Energy Efficiency as a Tool for Preservation of Affordable Rental Housing: Evaluation of the Efficiency Emphasis in the MacArthur Foundation's Window of Opportunity Initiative

Cited by 5 publications

References 12 publications

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

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

Green building, split-incentives and affordable rental housing policy

Preserving Neighborhood Opportunity: Where Federal Housing Subsidies Expire

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