Somewhere in Wilmington, a mother may be wandering around clutching a Section 8 housing subsidy voucher, looking for someone willing to rent her an apartment she can afford. Somewhere else, a homeowner with a vacant garage apartment may be wondering why the "For Rent" sign in the front yard has failed to generate interest.

A new Web site, www.capefearhousing.org, aims to bring them together.

It will be formally launched Tuesday morning at City Hall, with a demonstration of the site by Van Gottel, chief executive officer of the Charlotte-based nonprofit Socialserve.com. The service has spread across the nation since it was created in 1998.

Katrina Knight, executive director of Good Shepherd Center, became familiar with Socialserve.com when she was executive director of the Housing Resource Center in St. Louis and chairwoman of the city's Affordable Housing Task Force.

She remembered spending her lunch hours driving around the city cataloging "For Rent" signs. Her center had tried to compile a list of available rentals, especially those available for Section 8 renters.

"But as soon as you type a list, it's obsolete," she said Wednesday.

Just when the St. Louis center was considering inventing a database to link renters and landlords, she heard about Socialserve.com, already set up to do just that. St. Louis adopted the program.

Now the Affordable Housing Coalition of Southeastern North Carolina is bringing it to New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties.

Landlords can post rental information online for free. Potential renters can search for properties by location or using other criteria, such as proximity to public transportation.

Listings also include the property's rent and security deposit, whether criminal and credit checks are required, availability of appliances and air conditioning, whether pets are allowed and other information to help potential renters decide whether the housing is worth visiting.

People who don't have home computers can use them for free at the library or other places, Knight said.

She said the N.C. Housing Finance Agency is paying to extend Socialserve.com to areas in the state not already served by the online database. But the Affordable Housing Coalition is looking for sponsors to cover costs of printing brochures about www.capefearhousing.org.

Organizers of Tuesday's rollout hope to entice landlords and others who will contribute to the site, as well as those who need it to find housing.

"We want to get the word out that it's there, it's free, and it's going to be an effective way for both landlords and potential renters to connect," said Fred Riesz, senior housing financial counselor with the city's Community Development Department.

For more information:

Si Cantwell: 343-2364
si.cantwell@starnewsonline.com

Courtesy of Star-News, The Voice of Southeastern North Carolina