Housing Office Welcomes AHRN.com Published Oct. 1, 2007 AHRN -- 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 Grand Forks AFB Housing Office has implemented a new internet-based housing referral system to overcome that problem. It's AHRN.com (the Automated Housing Referral Network). AHRN.com (the Automated Housing Referral Network) is a nationwide, joint service, DoD-sponsored website that offers a 24/7/365 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 that saves time, expenses and headaches. AHRN is currently available at 41 Air Force Bases (CONUS), which is 61% of CONUS Air Force bases. The program is being implemented at new bases each week. As of 18 September there were 26 bases remaining to implement. AHRN deployment will be complete at all CONUS Air Force bases by March 2008. "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 Kelly Bowlin, Housing Referral Assistant. 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, that will be available upon their arrival. The idea behind AHRN.com is simple: free of charge, local property managers and military 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," says Ms. Bowlin. The Grand Forks Air Force Base Housing Office is looking forward to expanding its AHRN.com program by encouraging local property managers to register in the system. "The larger the database, the more useful it will be to people searching for places to live," Ms. Bowlin said. 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," says Ms. Bowlin. "Thank you for providing this service! It made finding a home so easy and I love the one I decided to rent. It was one less thing to worry about in our move. We rolled into town and were home." Military Member, AHRN.com User For more detailed information about the local AHRN.com website, contact Ms. Bowlin, Housing Referral Assistant, at 701 747-3033 or visit the website at www.ahrn.com to list your property or search for one today.