FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Steve Rector
Public Affairs Director
208-331-4725
Lisa Davis
Media & Public Relations Officer
208-331-4858

Boise, ID (September 29, 2008) – Have a question about housing? Two valuable resources celebrating milestones this month – Idaho’s Housing Hotline and housingidaho.com – have received more than 125,000 housing inquiries since their inception and continue to answer housing questions. Idaho Housing and Finance Association’s (IHFA’s) hotline became operational in 1998; and housingidaho.com became active last October. Both of these important resources are part of IHFA’s Housing Information Resource Center (HIRC), and together provide Idahoans with timely, accurate information about their housing questions.

HIRC and Idaho’s Housing Hotline (1-877-438-4472) have helped Idaho residents locate housing resources since 1998. After an estimated 25,000 calls, Idahoans still reach out daily to the housing hotline for information on how to pay their rent or utilities, how to deal with a pending or recent eviction, homelessness, and other housing questions. The hotline was created as a clearinghouse for Idaho residents with questions about available housing programs and services. In the ten years since its inception, it has become an important resource not only for consumers, such as seniors and veterans, but also for other referral sources, including Idaho’s Care Line (211), caseworkers, and elected officials seeking resources on behalf of constituents.

"The hotline’s impact upon Idahoans continues to grow; thousands rely on the resource each month," said Julie Williams, IHFA Senior Vice President. "Both the hotline and our new rental listing and locator service help simplify the search for local housing options."

Housingidaho.com (viviendaidaho.com for Spanish-speakers) is celebrating a milestone just one year after its inception – more than 107,000 searches have been conducted to date – nearly 9,000 searches per month. This free, ADA compliant, bilingual (English/Spanish) site offers unique features to renters and landlords. Renters can search up-to-date, detailed listings of both market rate and affordable units to find rental housing that fits their needs and budget, and view move-in costs, features, and current vacancies in seconds. Photos and maps of prospective units are also available. Additionally, Idahoans who participate in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program can use the site to find units that accept vouchers. As the site sponsor, IHFA is working with planning partners and co-sponsors to assure housingidaho.com meets the needs of Idaho residents, and is pleased with its success.

Housing providers also benefit from this resource; they can easily manage, add, and update listings and company information 24 hours a day. Many landlords also use the site to quickly display market rents and other conditions, features that save them time and money. "Your site is very user-friendly. The input process was easy to understand, the pages flipped quickly and processed rapidly," said an Emmett property manager after entering her information at housingidaho.com. "We are thrilled to be a participant in your rental housing site."

Professional call center support is also available toll-free at 1-877-428-8844 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. MST weekdays; within minutes, tenants receive custom rental lists, and landlords can register and begin listing properties.

"I would encourage every property manager or landlord in Idaho to list their rentals through the site, particularly in our rural communities," stressed Williams. "The service is free to landlords and tenants, there are no hidden fees or annoying ads, and we refer thousands of renters to the site every month. We see this as part of our overall goal to reduce costs and improve efficiency in Idaho’s housing markets."

Housingidaho.com increases the quality and quantity of resources that the housing hotline offers, since listings are updated every ten days. Current listings mean the site can also be used to identify real-time market conditions, and as an emergency response tool in the event of a disaster involving mass relocation – something that Idaho has lacked until now.

Call IHFA’s housing hotline with your housing questions today at 1-877-438-4472; or visit housingidaho.com to learn more about Idaho’s best rental housing tool.

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The Idaho Housing and Finance Association, a financial services and housing organization, provides funding for affordable housing in Idaho communities where they are most needed and when it is economically feasible. IHFA uses no state funds or state employees to support its operations. For more information, visit our Web site at www.ihfa.org.

HousingIdaho.com is powered by Socialserve.com, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and the nation's leader in affordable housing database solutions.