139 Highett Street, Richmond

The Homes Victoria relocations team will reach out to each household in the weeks after a tower is announced. They will arrange an in-person relocations appointment with your household so they can get to know your needs and start the process of finding you a new home. 

Some of the things they will talk to you about include:

• Your preferred location
• Any health services and providers you use
• Schools, childcare and jobs that you want to stay close to
• Your accessibility needs 
• Any social, cultural and community connections
• Anything else you want us to know about.

Relocation appointments are not rushed and can be held wherever you feel comfortable including in your home. You are welcome to bring family members, or other support services. We will also arrange an interpreter if you require one. 

During your relocations appointment, the team will help you to complete a relocations application. The relocations team will then look for a home that meets your needs. 

Once you receive a housing offer, you will get the chance to inspect the home and make sure that it is a good fit. 

When you accept the offer the relocations team will work with your household to decide on a suitable moving day. Homes Victoria will book the removalists and cover all moving costs, including:  

• Removalist fees  
• Packing materials, e.g. tape, boxes   
• Connections fees for utilities like electricity, gas, telephone, and internet  
• Mail redirection costs
• Disposal of any items you don’t want to move to your new home. 

On the agreed moving day, the removalist will take your packed belongings and furniture to your new home. 

We will keep you informed and involved in the planning for the redeveloped homes, as well as provide regular updates on progress and changes in your neighbourhood, especially if you plan to return. 

You can also play a part in the design of new homes and neighbourhoods.

The redevelopment will take between 6 and 8 years. 

You have the right to return to your current neighbourhood when the redevelopment is complete based on your ongoing eligibility and needs and suitability of new homes. 

You can also choose to stay in your relocation home if this suits you better at the time.

Throughout this project we will be listening to and working with high-rise renters and communities.

Renters and communities will have an opportunity to inform and provide feedback on the designs for new homes, neighbourhoods and more.

Yes. Our renters and our communities are our main priority throughout this project and we’ve been listening to and working with renters to develop Our Communities: Our Values – a set of values that will guide how we communicate and engage with renters throughout the high-rise redevelopment.

Our first step is to ensure all renters have good information and understand the support available to them.

Our dedicated housing team will gather renter and community feedback to help shape plans for each location. We will keep everyone informed with regular updates and opportunities to input, at every stage of the project.

This project will gradually retire and replace Melbourne’s 44 older high-rise public housing towers, built between the 1950s and 70s, by 2051.

Each redevelopment will take 6 to 8 years to complete.

Conversations with renters at 139 Highett Street to plan relocations will start soon with relocations to be completed by February 2026.

There will be no change to renters rights or security of tenure during their relocation.

All social housing renters are protected under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.