Property owners encouraged to list available housing

FloridaHousingSearch.org offers rental property owners, including providers of critically needed affordable and special needs housing, a place to advertise their properties at no cost, while allowing renters to easily find property that fits their needs.The Pinellas County Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, sponsors this service.

The site is now available for owners to begin listing properties and for families seeking housing to search for units that meet their specific needs.

Pinellas County's participation is a result of a homelessness prevention initiative launched by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners. In May 2007, the commission awarded a contract to Boley Centers. Inc. to implement a program to help residents in danger of losing their homes.

As part of the program, Boley is required to maintain an updated list of affordable rental properties in the county, one that includes information on HUD housing and landlords who accept county rent vouchers. Boley joined FloridaHousingSearch.org, which not only accomplishes the task of maintaining an updated list, but also offers the service to the entire community to include residents, landlords and social service providers.

The website offers 24-hour access to managing, adding and updating property listings. A bilingual call center is available to support those who do not use the Internet. Detailed property listings allow owners to highlight amenities and special features, including photos of available properties. Landlords can also use property management tools to maintain their property inventory and the search feature for conducting neighborhood and pricing comparisons.

FloridaHousingSearch.org is developed and managed by Socialserve.com, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit dedicated to serving the affordable housing needs of communities. Socialserve.com serves 20 states and over a third of the U.S. population.