Finding rental housing in Connecticut is now much easier thanks to a new service being offered.

The State of Connecticut is joining a growing national movement to provide information on rental housing availability from socialserve.com. This national nonprofit is dedicated to developing web applications that give agencies, municipalities and the general public access to tools and information that make it easier to find affordable rental housing.

CTHousingSearch.org is the website created by socialserve.com and offers rental property owners, including providers of critically needed affordable and special needs housing, a place to advertise their properties at no cost.

The CT Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) funds the call center and housing locator service. Founding agencies include the CT Department of Social Services, Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, United Way's 2-1-1 Infoline, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.

Individuals can easily search for housing using a wide variety of search criteria with special mapping features and receive apartment listings that provide in-depth details about the amenities in each unit.

The website also connects people to other housing resources through links and provides helpful tools for renters such as an affordability calculator, rental checklist, and renter rights and responsibilities information. The service can be accessed online 24 hours a day and is supported by a toll-free call center open Monday-Friday.

Property owners can register their units free of charge at www.CTHousingSearch.org or by calling toll-free at (877) 428-8844. Finding rental housing is just a click away.

Content Archived: March 21, 2011