District of Columbia: New housing Web site to aid District renters, homebuyers

The D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has partnered with Socialserve.com, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit and national leader in housing locator services, to develop an affordable housing listing and locator service for District residents. The District's site will operate under DCHousingSearch.org."We are committed to financing affordable housing development and to assisting residents in need of affordable housing (rental and homeownership) in identifying quality housing units," said DHCD Director Leila Finucane Edmonds. "Partnering with SocialServe.com on an affordable housing locator service magnifies our ability to inform our residents about housing opportunities."

The District's online housing locator service will be available free of charge to individuals and property owners/managers. Residents will be able to browse up-to-date, detailed listings to find available properties that meet their housing needs based on price, zip code, proximity to metro an more. Landlords and property managers will be able to use the service to list available properties.

The District's site will also connect people to other housing resources through website links and provides helpful tools for renters such as an affordability calculator, rental checklist, and renter rights and responsibilities information. The service will be available online and supported by a toll-free, bilingual call center Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Individuals who do not have Internet access will be able to receive personal assistance with listing or searching for properties through the call center.

Edmonds anticipates opening the site for business on November 1. Additional information, when available, will be posted at www.dhcd.dc.gov.