Development partners are being sought to deliver homes for key government workers, including teachers and police, in one of South Australia’s fastest growing regional communities.

Renewal SA's Office for Regional Housing is today releasing an Expression of Interest (EOI) for up to 10 homes to be delivered on the Copper Coast within the Yorke Peninsula.

The opportunity combines long-term lease commitments with targeted infrastructure support to help unlock new housing supply across the region.

"As these regions grow, the need for essential services grows too, and access to suitable housing remains one of the biggest challenges in attracting and retaining the workers who deliver them," said Peter Gatsios, Renewal SA's Executive Director overseeing the Office for Regional Housing.

Mr Gatsios said the opportunity was the latest in a series of initiatives designed to stimulate housing development across regional South Australia.

"We are at various stages of negotiations on similar arrangements in the Riverland, Port Augusta and Port Lincoln, while work is well underway in Port Pirie following a successful agreement to expand an existing housing development," he said.

Under the EOI, developers would secure land and fund the construction of between five and 10 homes which would be leased by the Government Employee Housing program (GEH) for an initial 10-year term, with optional five-year renewal periods.

The homes may be located in Moonta, Kadina, Wallaroo or across multiple sites, with Renewal SA seeking proposals that optimise housing outcomes across the region depending on land availability and project feasibility.

Developers are also encouraged to create additional serviced allotments within the same development areas to help increase housing supply for the broader community.

To support these developments, Renewal SA is offering a contribution of up to 50 per cent of eligible civil infrastructure costs associated with the additional allotments, capped at $50,000 per allotment and up to $1 million in total.

Projects that create at least 20 additional allotments may be eligible to access the full $1 million contribution, subject to the terms of the EOI and eligible infrastructure costs.

"One of the biggest barriers to housing development in regional South Australia is the upfront cost of getting land ready to build on,” Mr Gatsios said.

"By contributing to those infrastructure costs, we're giving developers a genuine reason to invest while helping bring additional serviced allotments to market sooner, supporting both key worker housing and additional housing opportunities for the broader community."

Dylan Strong, Chief Executive Officer of the Copper Coast Council said housing growth was critical for the region.

“We are a growing region, and a high rate of growth means that issues of housing availability are compounded by our increased demand,” Mr Strong said.

“We are seeing many instances of professionals who relocate to the area for employment opportunities, who are unable to secure housing and have to enter the unsustainable short term housing market.”

Mr Strong said the council welcomed the opportunity to partner with Renewal SA to tackle housing shortages in the area.

“Initiatives such as this provide Council with a great opportunity to have a direct role in providing solutions to meet housing demand for key workers who play such an important role within the community,” he said.

“New housing developments mean jobs and opportunities for our local businesses and trades.

“It means more people, new families moving to our region and contributing to the social and economic fabric.”

The Office for Regional Housing has, during its three years of operation, secured a pipeline of hundreds of housing outcomes across South Australia.

The Copper Coast EOI is now open and will close at 5pm (ACDT), Thursday 26 November 2026.