Better Housing Opportunities for Education and Healthcare Workers in Breda

Next month, Breda will start the Vital Professions pilot to investigate whether priority in housing allocation for healthcare and education workers helps reduce staff shortages and retain them longer in the city.

Next month, Breda will start the Vital Professions pilot. With this trial, the municipality wants to investigate whether giving priority in housing allocation to healthcare and education workers helps reduce staff shortages in those sectors and retain these workers in the city for a longer period. The pilot is an initiative of the Municipality of Breda in cooperation with the housing corporations Alwel, Laurentius, and WonenBreburg. The employers Thebe and Kober are executing the pilot.

Retention of vital professions in the city

The housing market is tight, making affordable homes scarce. Alderman Arjen van Drunen (housing): “It is difficult for workers in vital professions, such as healthcare or education, to find housing in Breda while we urgently need these people in our city. With this trial, we will see if giving priority can help retain healthcare workers for our city.” The Municipality of Breda researched housing demand among vital professions: healthcare, education, public administration, and safety. It appears that the demand is greatest within healthcare and education. Therefore, priority will start for workers in these sectors.