Warrigal providing housing for aged care workers amid crisis

Mrs Tuitakali works as a companion for Warrigal in the Illawarra and rents an Albion Park property from the not-for-profit organisation that is set aside for staff.

A recent study by Anglicare Australia looking at rental affordability for essential workers revealed just 1.1 per cent of properties across the country were affordable for aged care workers.

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Meanwhile, the lack of affordable housing for key workers is the most pressing issue facing Illawarra businesses.

Mrs Tuitakali moved to the Illawarra from Fiji to take up her job and said she was "so lucky" to have had a home since she arrived.

She said she and a few others had looked at moving to a private rental, but it was not easy.

"It's really expensive, compared to what we pay at the moment," Mrs Tuitakali said.

Warrigal chief executive officer Jenni Hutchins said the organisation had about 40 properties it had rented, purchased or repurposed from its own stock of buildings for housing staff, most of which were in the Illawarra.

"If we did not do that, we would not be able to operate," Ms Hutchins said.

In a sector facing critical staffing shortages around the country, Warrigal turned to other countries to find competent staff to provide care to its residents - but this raised the issue of housing.

Many workers have come to Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme and it is mostly for them that Warrigal has provided housing for staff since 2019.

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Ms Hutchins said this housing was rented to staff at a cost that sat within the means of Warrigal's employees.

But this is not only a financial issue: safety is also an important consideration.

Ms Hutchins said physical safety was a factor when people were coming to a new country, but cultural and psychological safety were others.

Loneliness and isolation were key issues for migrants, she said, so Warrigal often group employees together so they lived close to people they knew and could socialise with, ensuring they had a sense of connection.

"We want [employees] to feel safe, connected, valued and respected," Ms Hutchins said.

And it not only benefited the staff members, she said: this also translated into the quality of care they offered to residents and clients.

Ms Hutchins said housing for key workers needed to be built.

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