Omar’s Story: Returning to a new home in Ascot Vale

Omar’s home in Dunlop Avenue, Ascot Vale used to be old, expensive to run and no longer fit for the standard of living that renters deserve.

The at-times brutal Victorian weather provided an enormous challenge to living in comfort.

“The homes had no insulation or air-conditioning and got very hot in summer and cold in winter,” Omar said.

“It was very hard to be inside on hot days.”

Homes Victoria embarked on a project to redevelop the public housing on Dunlop Avenue in 2021, with existing renters, like Omar supported to relocate to nearby homes.

Omar relocated to the Flemington housing towers on Racecourse Road during the redevelopment. He said that the relocations team supported him to make the move. 

“They organised the moving trucks and paid for everything. They made the process very easy for me.”

The Dunlop Avenue, Ascot Vale project is now complete, featuring 200 new social and affordable homes and creating 890 jobs throughout the construction process. 

The newly created homes are expertly designed, energy-efficient and equipped to meet renter needs, setting new standards for social housing in Victoria.

Evolve Housing Vic manages the Dunlop Avenue homes. Evolve is a registered housing provider that offers social and affordable housing services to Victorians who are unable to afford private market rents.

Their mission is to enable more people in need to live in quality homes in thriving and inclusive communities.

Evolve handles the day-to-day maintenance matters, and provides support services to their renters. 

Omar was very excited to return to the new community housing in Ascot Vale. He enjoys living close to public transport and shopping precincts like Union Road and values the amenities that Evolve offers onsite, including the community garden. 

Omar said the quality of the new community housing is very high and his apartment is easy to keep at a comfortable temperature, cheaper to run, and feels more secure and safe. 

“Evolve have been supportive and welcoming. When I had an air-conditioning issue in my apartment, they had an electrician out to fix it the next day.

“We are very lucky here.”

He was initially nervous about moving from public housing to community housing, but said the experience has been positive.