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The Office for Regional Housing is a dedicated office within Renewal SA, committed to working with local governments, economic development agencies and employers to address housing shortages in regional South Australia.

By helping to increase the supply of quality, affordable homes, we will help improve economic growth and quality of life in our regions.

About the Office for Regional Housing

South Australia’s regions are key contributors to the state’s prosperity, generating over $30 billion every year in economic activity across critical industries such as farming, fishing, mining, manufacturing and tourism.

There's an exciting focus towards bolstering population growth and economic vitality in regional South Australia, where there's a pressing need for housing solutions.

Our regions face a range of challenges, including limited access to infrastructure, high cost of materials and transport, limited local construction and developer capacity, small scale of developments and restricted access to finance. These challenges vary across regions, and it is important that the state government is able to work with local governments and stakeholders to address the challenges specific to each region.

For our regional communities to thrive and to attract and retain the workforce needed to underpin future growth, we need to unlock more opportunities for people to be able to live in affordable and fit for purpose homes.

The Office for Regional Housing aims to tackle the unique housing challenges facing regional South Australia by:

  • Facilitating the development of new key worker rental housing in regional South Australia through the Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme; and
  • Supporting the planning and implementation of housing projects through strategic advice and targeted funding assistance

The Office for Regional Housing will, where possible, help to facilitate housing projects identified by local governments, regional employers, the development industry and other peak bodies that provide strategic affordable and key worker housing in the regions.

The Office for Regional Housing reports to Renewal SA’s Chief Executive, the Urban Renewal Authority Board of Management and the Minister for Housing and Urban Development.

Regional Housing Initiatives Program

The Office for Regional Housing has launched a new $10 million Regional Housing Initiatives Program, which aims to identify regional housing projects that can bring significant strategic value to the state but may require targeted assistance and partnership with government to be delivered.

The Office is looking for opportunities to partner with entities such as local governments, regional employers, the development community and other stakeholder groups, for housing projects that:

  • make a positive impact on the local community’s economy or provide strategic benefits by securing core services;
  • demonstrate support for South Australian industry including the use of local products, trades and services;
  • are supported by partnerships and collaborations with other organisations such as government, industry and community; and
  • are able to be delivered in a timely manner, are financially viable and will contribute to the long-term housing needs of the community.

Submissions are currently being processed, for an update on your submission please contact [email protected].

Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme

As part of its function, the Office will administer a new Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme which will encourage greater investment in rental housing for critical workers in regional areas.

Under this scheme, the Office for Regional Housing will develop new homes in key regional centres which will be sold to private investors with long-term, employer-backed leases attached.

In the first instance, the scheme will facilitate the delivery of new housing for police, teachers and healthcare workers in key country areas.

A pilot program will deliver approximately 30 homes for these key service sectors across the Copper Coast, Riverland, Mount Gambier, Port Augusta and Ceduna.

A further 5 homes are set to be delivered in Bordertown as an expansion of the scheme thanks to a cross-government partnership between the Office and Tatiara District Council.

The construction of the houses in the pilot project will help to attract and retain critical service workers to regional areas and to reduce pressure on the private rental market.

The Office is coordinating the scheme in collaboration with local councils, regional businesses, builders, investors, and other state government departments.

Following the delivery of the pilot program, there is scope for the scheme to be expanded to other regions and be available to organisations seeking to secure long-term access to new, fit-for-purpose housing for their workers.

The Office for Regional Housing is continually looking for builders – housing construction residential, for the ongoing delivery of housing in the regions to facilitate the Scheme. Please complete this form to register your interest.

Contact us

You can also contact the Office for Regional Housing at
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1300 342 080

Our team

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