Two new apartments at Kyabram District Health Service will be built to attract employees and their families to the region, in a move made possible by newly announced government funding.
On Friday, October 11, Premier Jacinta Allan unveiled the initial $150 million Regional Worker Accommodation Fund allocation, with KDHS securing funding for one of 20 projects aimed at enhancing housing for regional workers and their families.
In the announcement, held at Shepparton’s GV Health, Ms Allan highlighted the need for accommodation for regional workers, especially those moving to work regionally.
“These projects will mean Victorians can live close to where they work, and our incredible regional towns are attracting the skilled workers they need to keep their local economies booming,” Ms Allan said.
KDHS chief executive Anne McEvoy confirmed that the funding received through the grant would go towards building two apartments for KDHS workers and students.
This project is part of a larger recruitment and retention strategy to encourage workers to Kyabram, feeding on from the tourism campaign launched in June where videos were made to promote Kyabram’s liveability.
The strategy will be implemented across the next few years to increase worker retention and improve the quality of services under the KDHS banner.
Currently, KDHS has a student accommodation building with six bedrooms; however, these two apartments would provide workers with families to have the space to move to Kyabram.
Mrs McEvoy said that these apartments would be used as launch points for workers and their families to relocate to Kyabram so they could actively work while looking for long-term accommodation.
“The hope is that if we give them short-term accommodation, they will then look to purchase properties in Kyabram, relocate their families and then have long-term retention with those staff,” she said.
“It will reduce the fact that they might have to go out of town to find somewhere to live … they will be less likely to travel from outside to work, they will shop locally, their children might even go to school in Ky, and they’ll access local sporting (clubs).
“There’s certainly a benefit from an economic perspective for this community.”
Mrs McEvoy said that if KDHS was not using the accommodation, it may be made available for the general community.
To successfully receive a grant, projects needed to be shovel ready.
Mrs McEvoy confirmed that KDHS would begin the design and tendering stage as early as the beginning of next year.