| Media item | |
| | Essential grant call | Geelong Advertiser,
Geelong
by Nathan Mawby
| 22 Jun 2024 | | General News - Page 13 - 339 words - ID 2084304460 - Photo: Yes - Type: News Item - Size: 478.00cm2 | |
The state government is facing calls for an essential services homebuying grant.
Villawood Properties boss Rory Costelloe said it was time for the government to recognise the vital role helping these workers to own a home could play in connecting them with a community.
Mr Costelloe's firm is offering discounts on houseand-land packages in its estates across Australia to help essential workers into a home, with the sum on offer recently increased from $20,000 to $35,000.
So far the firm's Care Worker program has helped 300 teachers, police, nurses and other essential workers into housing, at a cost of $4.6m for the firm.
"They contribute so much to society and get so little recognition," Mr Costelloe said.
"I think the government and all developers should be working to try and get the people that care for us into homes.
"Maybe they can have their own care worker grant." Intensive care nurse Anna Ascue had pushed herself to the limit, taking on extra shifts as she tried to save for her first home when she saw Villawood Properties' offer.
"I knew I couldn't work any more, I was too tired," Ms Ascue said.
"I was able to actually able to breathe when that happened, as I had almost had to delay my build. It probably saved me years on buying a home." The $20,000 in assistance meant the then-single homebuyer could proceed with a four-bedroom build, which she has now grown into with a teacher partner and her four-month-old first child.
"I think the government should look at expanding the idea, and for other workers too," Ms Ascue said.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation federal secretary Annie Butler said the chronic shortage of affordable housing was a "growing concern" for care workers.
"This situation is unsustainable and is impacting the recruitment and retention of nurses and midwives, " Ms Butler She said the union supported initiatives to provide affordable homes for care workers.
Caption Text:
ICU nurse Anna Ascue received $20,000 assistance from Villawood Properties to help buy her first home.
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