Help Keep Our Healthcare Workers Close to Home
Homes for Health (HfH) is a community-led initiative supporting healthcare workers to find secure, affordable accommodation close to where they work.
Across Bellingen Shire, access to housing remains one of the biggest barriers to recruiting and retaining doctors, nurses, paramedics, aged care staff and allied health professionals. When health workers can’t find housing, our whole community feels the impact.
Homes for Health exists to respond to that challenge in practical, local ways. Watch the film to see why this matters.
How the Program Works
Homes for Health staff coordinate the program by linking healthcare workers and students with vetted local hosts, ensuring suitability, safety and clear expectations for both parties. We also offer support to both parties during and after the host arrangement.
Local homeowners can offer:
Short-Term (up to 6 weeks): Accommodation for healthcare students and trainees on placement.
Interim (up to 12 months): Affordable rentals for essential healthcare workers relocating to the area.
Long-Term: Transitioning under-used homes or holiday properties into housing for local workers.
Homes for Health also complements longer-term structural solutions being developed through the Waterfall Way Community Land Trust Ltd (WWCLT), which is working to create permanently affordable homes for local workers and families.
Homes for Health in 2026: Strengthening and Scaling
With support from Bellingen Shire Council and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), Homes for Health is delivering a strengthened 2026 work program focused on sustainability, coordination and impact.
This support is enabling us to:
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Improve our host and worker intake and matching systems
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Map local healthcare workforce housing needs more accurately
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Strengthen relationships with healthcare employers across the Shire
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Build a clearer demand pipeline for incoming doctors, nurses and allied health staff
This next phase builds on earlier outreach to local employers and healthcare providers and shifts the focus towards embedding Homes for Health as an ongoing, place-based workforce support initiative.
Thank You to Our Community, Volunteers and Partners
We’re grateful to our community hosts, volunteers, and partners who continue to back this work.
With Council and ACRRM support in place for 2026, Homes for Health is committed to supporting our local healthcare workers.
Get Involved
Whether you’re a homeowner with a spare room, or a healthcare employer seeking support, or a donor ready to contribute — you can help keep healthcare workers close to home.
Get in touch: info@housingmatters.org.au
Call us: 0494 331 821
