A month after the plan to establish a dedicated residential compound for tech employees in Sderot at an investment of NIS 15 million was first revealed by Walla, the full financial details and detailed admission criteria formulated by the Tekuma Directorate and the Sderot Municipality have now been disclosed.
According to figures from the project, joining the new residential community will translate into significant financial savings for participants starting from the first year. Calculations show that a single tech employee will enjoy savings starting at NIS 87,000 in the first year, while for a couple where both are employed in the tech industry, the extent of the economic savings will reach up to NIS 141,000 in the first year alone.
Alongside the benefits package, the Tekuma Directorate and the municipality defined threshold conditions for accepting candidates into the program. Under the set criteria, candidates are required to present proven experience of at least 5 years in the high-tech industry, alongside an income threshold of an average monthly gross salary of at least NIS 31,858. In addition, a geographic condition was established stating that participants must not have resided in the area of the Tekuma Region during the past year.
The new data adds to the housing model first revealed by Walla, which includes the establishment of the "Sderot Tech" compound containing at least 70 furnished two- to four-room apartments, alongside shared workspaces and leisure areas. The state will subsidize the rent for participants in the compound on a graduated, descending scale: 75% of the rental amount in the first year, 50% in the second year, and 25% in the third year.
Despite the close connection to establishing a strong population in the city, the program's model does not require employees to move to work at companies located in southern Israel, and they will be able to continue earning a living at their existing places of employment. At this stage, Sderot was chosen to serve as a pilot for the program, and the municipality is expected to publish tenders to select the entities that will actually manage the venture. Concurrently with the residential compound, a plan to establish a dedicated tech park in the city over the coming years is being advanced.
The head of the Tekuma Directorate, Aviad Friedman, addressed the move and explained that the residential compound is an innovative and pioneering act. "This project is one of the ways to build back better, as we promised the residents of the region, and to grow the area with more people who will bring with them more economy, employment, education, and leisure," Friedman said.