Columbia, S.C. - To help residents find affordable housing, the S.C. State Housing Authority has made its web site, www.SCHousingSearch.com, available to the public.

This free listing and locator service was activated on a limited basis in early September for affordable-housing providers to assist in populating the database with statewide housing opportunities.

The free affordable-housing database will allow those seeking housing to search for properties by location, rental amount or other variables.

It also provides a site for housing professionals to list their properties, including pictures of the properties and amenities.

The purpose of the site is to have all affordable-housing units throughout the state listed providing a comprehensive resource of all housing and community services to the citizens of South Carolina.

The site was created with Socialserve.com, a nonprofit organization that helps people find housing and resources through software and Web site development. The listing service has approximately 650 properties listed statewide, representing more than 2,100 units of housing.

"The authority has worked diligently with other housing professionals across the state to make this site available to our citizens," said Dr. Eugene Laurent, Executive Director of the State Housing Authority.

If you are a provider, you can also call 1-877-428-8844 to contact the call-center staff to register your properties. For information, call (803) 896-9111.