As we all know, our cities are expensive places to live. High living costs put massive strain on these workers and their families. Many are forced to move out and spend hours commuting. Many choose to remain and struggle to maintain decent living standards. 

At LIV, our team is exploring how we can help by providing affordable homes for essential workers close to where they work. In fact, this ambition will become a reality pretty soon at our LIV Anura project in Newstead, Brisbane.

But first let's take a step back.  Who are these essential workers?

Essential workers are pretty much the closest thing we have to real life superheroes. They are nurses, paramedics and aged-care workers caring for the sick and vulnerable. They are teachers going above and beyond to educate and also provide emotional support, and firefighters risking their lives to protect people’s homes and livelihoods. They often work long shifts, with young families to support on low to moderate incomes.

In times of crisis, we are even more reliant upon these folks. Ironically, it has taken devastating events like the recent bush fires and the pandemic for us to understand the true value of their contribution. They are the cornerstone of economy, the backbone of our society, vital to the functionality of our cities.

It is crazy, given their importance to society, these workers are unable to afford a decent standard of living in our cities. In May, a report by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute high-lighted the plight of key workers in Sydney, with just under 44,000 estimated to commute more than 30km from home to work. According to the report, not a single Sydney local government area has a median house price that is affordable to an early-career registered nurse, while only a few Sydney LGAs have affordable units.