Sderot to Launch a 15 Million Shekel “Hi-Tech Neighborhood” for Young Families

Sderot will establish a dedicated housing complex for hi-tech workers at a cost of 15 million shekels, in a pilot aimed at attracting new residents to the city. The plan, first reported by Walla, was developed by the Tekuma Administration and the Sderot municipality.

The project, called “Sderot Hi-Tech,” will include at least 70 furnished apartments with two to four rooms, along with shared workspaces and leisure areas. It is designed for couples and families who do not currently live in the Gaza envelope, and it offers a three-year sliding rent subsidy, with the state covering 75 percent of rent in the first year, 50 percent in the second, and 25 percent in the third.

Eligibility requires that at least one spouse have more than five years of experience in the hi-tech industry. Participants will not be required to work in southern Israel, even though the initiative is intended to strengthen the region’s population and economy. Sderot was chosen as the pilot site, and the municipality will soon issue tenders to select the entities that will run the project.

A parallel effort is also moving forward to build a hi-tech park in the city in the coming years. Tekuma Administration head Aviad Friedman called the housing model “innovative and pioneering,” saying it is “one of the ways to build back better” and to bring more people who will add “economy, employment, education and leisure.” Mayor Alon Davidi said the project will bring “young and high-quality families,” strengthen the local community, and become a major growth engine for Sderot and the surrounding area. Roni Palmar, founder and CEO of Or Movement, said it links the national need to strengthen the Tekuma region with the human capital driving Israel’s hi-tech sector.