Public school staff living and working in two remote western NSW communities now have guaranteed access to comfortable accommodation.

Brand new teacher housing recently travelled on the back of a truck across the state to the small communities of Louth and Enngonia.

Staff visiting Louth, including relief teachers and school psychologists, will now be welcomed into a modern 2-bedroom mobile unit.

The unit is the first of its kind commissioned by the NSW Department of Education and will be piloted as a short-term housing solution.

The Relieving Executive Director of the Department’s Regional, Rural and Remote Implementation Unit, Dean White, said if successful, the model could be considered for other remote areas of the state.

“A lack of available housing for teachers in some of our rural towns can make it difficult to attract teachers to the school,” he said.

“This is something our schools and education partners have told us is a priority.”

Providing tailored housing support to rural and remote schools is a key initiative in the Department’s recently released Rural and Remote Education Implementation Plan.

Part of the initiative involves investigating manufactured housing options to address supply issues in high-need areas.

The community of Enngonia has welcomed a new three-bedroom house, which was built in just 30 days.

The unique dwelling was crafted within the walls of Glen Innes Jail, before it was divided into three sections and transported on trucks to its new home in the state’s far north-west.

Now fully assembled, the modular home will provide housing for teachers at Enngonia Public School.

“Ensuring our teachers have access to quality, safe and comfortable housing is critical for attracting and retaining staff in our rural and remote schools,” Mr White said.

Louth and Enngonia are about 100km from Bourke, with enrolments of eight and 26 students at each school respectively.

The housing projects involved collaboration across agencies, with the Department working with the Teacher Housing Authority and NSW Public Works.