Essential workers are the backbone of our communities — but for too many, finding a stable home close to work is increasingly out of reach.
The NSW Legislative Assembly Select Committee’s final report on Essential Worker Housing, released last week, confirms what we see every day at HOPE Housing: skyrocketing housing costs are pushing nurses, teachers, police officers and other frontline workers out of the communities they serve.
7News covered this growing crisis and featured HOPE Housing’s shared equity solution as part of the story. Our CEO, Tim Buskens, spoke with 7News about why the housing finance system must evolve and how HOPE is helping make homeownership possible for those who keep our cities running.
👉 Watch the 7News feature here.
Since launching in late 2022, HOPE has helped 35 essential workers buy homes through our unique shared equity model — investing alongside them so they can live closer to work, without needing subsidies or distorting market prices.
But the need is urgent: more than 3,000 essential workers are currently on HOPE’s waitlist, ready to buy if funding is available. With robust systems in place, HOPE is equipped to deploy $300 million in shared equity funding over the next 12 months — enough to support hundreds more essential workers to put down roots and keep serving our communities.
“Essential workers don’t need subsidies — they need a fair partner,” said Tim Buskens. “Shared equity is a proven model that works at scale. We’re ready to help more people right now.”
At HOPE Housing, we believe this is more than a housing issue — it’s a community crisis. And it’s time for change.
