Dyess Housing Office welcomes new referral website

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  • By Staff Reports
DYESS AFB, Texas --  Everybody knows it's difficult to find good housing from across the nation or sometimes from across town. It's an old story that has a new ending. The Dyess Housing Office is implementing a new internet-based housing referral system to overcome that problem. It's AHRN.com (the Automated Housing Referral Network).

AHRN.com is a nationwide, joint-service, Department of Defense-sponsored website that offers a 24-hour single source of available housing to incoming military and their families. AHRN.com directly connects service members with local property managers via the internet often facilitating a door-to-door move, saving time, expenses and headaches.

"This housing referral network is a quantum leap forward from the process we use in our office and the word-of-mouth (sponsor) method," said Lt. Col. Chris Womack, 7th Civil Engineer Squadron commander. With the internet, incoming military and families are able to reach out from anywhere and get an updated list of available housing, from a much larger pool of diverse properties, which will be available upon their arrival.

The site is free of charge. Local property managers and military members register their available properties on the site, often several months before the property will be available. These properties are then easily visible to incoming personnel when they search the site for available housing.

"It's our job to promote the site to all local stakeholders to ensure that it builds momentum and synergy," said Karen Largent, Dyess Housing manager.

The Dyess Housing Office is looking forward to expanding its AHRN.com program by encouraging local property managers to register in the system, she said.

"The larger the database, the more useful it will be to people searching for places to live," said Karen Largent.

To make registering properties a worry-free proposition, AHRN.com incorporates several layers of privacy protection. In return for registering their properties, AHRN.com provides property owners with a consistent resource of quality tenants.

"It's a win-win for everyone who uses the site," said Karen Largent.

The service is available to all service members that are supported by the Abilene, San Angelo and San Antonio Texas areas.

For more information about the local AHRN.com website, contact Paulette Whitaker, Housing Office management assistant, at 696-2150 or visit the website at www.ahrn.com to list your property or search for one today.