EAST CHICAGO – Miller-Valentine Group (MVG) and UP Development were selected as the two developers to participate in the Moving Forward 3.0 program. The teams were selected from a group of six that responded to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) released by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) earlier this year.

'I was very impressed with the talent and passion of the development teams and their collective understanding of East Chicago and Lake County," said Jacob Sipe, Executive Director of IHCDA. "These teams both truly understand the impact these two developments will have."

The choice to select the developers were made by two selection committees. A committee of Lake County community leaders and a group of IHCDA staff members. Both panels, working independent of the other, selected MVG and UP Development as their choices to participate in Moving Forward 3.0.

MVG and UP Development will begin the development phase during an intensive two-day workshop in November. At least one of these new affordable housing developments, which will likely break ground in 2019, will be located in East Chicago. In addition to Lake County community leaders, former West Calumet Housing Complex residents most active during the community meetings have been asked to participate in the workshop.

In February, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb issued an Executive Order for Declaration of Disaster Emergency in East Chicago. One of his requests in this order was for IHCDA to find ways to encourage the new development of affordable rental housing in the East Chicago area.

The Moving Forward Program, launched in 2015 by IHCDA and Energy Systems Network (ESN), uses a systems approach to create affordable housing that increases quality of life while decreasing the cost of living for low to moderate income individuals and families. To date, four teams have participated in the program with housing developments planned or currently underway in Bloomington, Fort Wayne, Lafayette and Indianapolis.

Click here for more information about the Moving Forward Program. Click here for additional information and updates regarding the Disaster Emergency in East Chicago.

*Per the 2018-2019 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP), IHCDA reserves 10% of its Rental Housing Tax Credits (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. These two developments will be eligible to apply for tax credits.

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IHCDA, chaired by Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, provides housing opportunities, promotes self-sufficiency and strengthens communities in order to build an Indiana with a sustainable quality of life for all Hoosiers in the community of their choice. For more information, visit www.ihcda.in.gov or www.in.gov/myihcda.