A Renewal SA-led pilot program to build 30 high-quality homes for teachers, healthcare and law enforcement workers in regional South Australia has been completed, three years after it was established to improve the supply and quality of homes across the state.

The conclusion of the Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme (RKWHS) is a significant milestone for Renewal SA’s Office for Regional Housing.

The scheme, first announced after the 2023-24 state budget, committed $15.9 million to the purchase of land, construction delivery and associated administration.

Twenty-eight of the homes located in Port Augusta, Mount Gambier, Kadina, Renmark, Moonta Bay and Ceduna have now been sold to private investors, the remaining two in Ceduna will go to market later this year.

Peter Gatsios, Renewal SA’s Executive Director overseeing the Office for Regional Housing, said he was pleased with the end programs results so far.

“This scheme has stimulated local construction industries, bolstered essential services and driven regional investment,” Mr Gatsios said.

The final homes now completed, in Ceduna were delivered by RJ Scott, a local First Nations builder operating for more than two decades, using innovative structural insulated panels to reduce the reliance on a broad range of trades that are typically scarce in the area.

Ceduna Mayor Ken Maynard said the new homes would make a real difference to the community's ability to attract and retain essential workers.

"Housing is key to attracting and retaining staff coming from the metropolitan area, particularly to work in the country," Mayor Maynard said.

Mayor Maynard, who passes the homes on his daily commute, said the finished product had impressed the community.

“Good housing is essential and these houses certainly measure up to those requirements," he said.

All 30 homes, which have been progressively sold to private investors over the past 12 months, are now leased to key workers on long-term, government-backed leases, providing new owners with a secure income stream.

Mr Gatsios said the program had delivered on the objectives it set out to achieve.

"When we launched the scheme, we wanted to demonstrate that you could build quality homes in the regions, lease them to key workers and sell them to private investors in a way that worked for everyone," Mr Gatsios said.

"This is about more than 30 homes. It's about showing what's possible when government takes a targeted, collaborative approach to regional housing and using that foundation to go further."

The Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme was one of two flagship programs established when the Office for Regional Housing was created in 2023. The $10 million Regional Housing Initiatives Program has since unlocked more than 275 new rental homes and housing allotments across regional towns.

The completion of the original 30-home scheme also marks the beginning of the next chapter, with a further 10 homes now underway in Bordertown, while the delivery of five homes in Kingscote remains in the planning stages.

Together with developer partnerships and targeted expressions of interest, the Office for Regional Housing has more than 400 housing outcomes in its pipeline across South Australia.