[StBernard] Property Owners Encouraged to List Available Housing

[Westley Annis]

Property Owners Encouraged to List Available Housing 
LAHousingSearch.org will link renters, affordable housing

BATON ROUGE--The effort to help people find affordable rental property was accelerated today with the launch of a new Web site, LAHousingSearch.org. The site is designed to match property owners who have rental property with individuals seeking to rent an apartment or house. The La. Governor's Office, along with the La. Housing Finance Agency, La. Department of Health and Hospitals and the La. Recovery Authority, is sponsoring this service.

LAHousingSearch.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 site is now available for owners to begin listing properties.

"I am pleased to announce this resource for Louisiana residents and property owners. Matching demands for affordable housing with those who are offering it is a vital tool in our recovery effort," said Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. "I am urging property owners to register on the system which will serve as the state's primary housing search resource."

LAHousingSearch.org was designed so that renters, property owners, housing professionals and social service providers can have access to real-time rental housing information. The website addresses the immediate, short-term need to connect renters with available rental properties. Simultaneously, the state is pursuing the long-term solution of rebuilding more than 35,000 units of affordable rental housing destroyed in the hurricanes. The program, funded with federal recovery (Community Development Block Grant) dollars, is scheduled to begin in early 2007.

"If you are a property owner who has available and affordable housing, I encourage you to list your property today," said Louisiana Housing Finance Agency Director Milton Bailey. "The database will be searchable by the public as soon as 600 units of available housing have been listed." 

The Web site offers 24-hour easy access to managing, adding and updating property listings and advertised company information. There is also experienced bilingual call center support for those who do not use the Internet. 

"Renters are facing a unique set of challenges as we all work to get our lives back to normal," said Walter Leger, chairman of the La. Recovery Authority's Housing Task Force. "That is why we created a matchmaking service to link landlords offering safe, comfortable and affordable places to live with renters looking to come home."

Detailed property listings allow owners to highlight amenities and special features, including photos of available property. Landlords can also use the property search feature as a tool to manage their inventory of properties, as well as make neighborhood and pricing comparisons. 

"The Department of Health and Hospitals has played a key role in securing housing for those with special needs through the Systems Transformation Grant," said DHH Secretary Dr. Fred Cerise. "We welcome the opportunity to be a partner in bringing rental housing search resources to all Louisiana residents." 

For more information, visit www.LAHousingSearch.org <http://keelson.eatel.net/websites/la.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&task=addClick&msg_ID=2782&ID=dDiye%5CiWnDn9&redirect=http://www.LAHousingSearch.org> 

Additional media contacts: 
Robert Johannessen (DHH) - 225-342-1532
Robin Wagner (DHH) - 225-342-3839
Robert Barbor (LHFA) - 225-763-8700

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The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation
Louisiana's Fund for Louisiana's People
www.louisianahelp.org