My Home Project
Helping the homeless
Highbury Homes is a proud contributor to the “My Home” project
This project helps provide housing for homeless people in Western Australia through donations and contributions.
With rising costs and housing shortages throughout WA, homelessness is a growing problem.
At least 9,000 people experience homelessness on any night in Western Australia.
Our Role
Highbury Homes helps to build the homes and source cost-efficient suppliers and trades.
Homelessness
The Ending Homelessness in WA 2022 report by University of WA, Centre for Social Impact (CSI) reports the following:
- One in six homeless people are under 24.
- For individuals, the mean time spent homeless was 64 months – over 5 years. For families, the mean time spent homeless was 68 months – over 5.5 years.
- 56% have been a victim of attack whilst homeless and 33% had a person forcing them to do things they don’t want to do.
- 30% report dehydration problems and 69% report depression.
My Home
My Home is a company that can be thought of as a philanthropic developer. It coordinates public-private partnerships (PPP) pro-bono to supply affordable, environmentally friendly homes to homeless people or those at risk of homelessness.
The My Home project will convert railway-reserve land owned by the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA) into a site for social housing, especially for women between 18 and 55 years-old. The development site covers 1,722 m2 bordered by Congdon Street and Stirling Highway.
Inclusions
All of the My Home houses are carbon zero or carbon positive homes. Plus they meet the Liveable Homes Gold Standard of Universal Access.
Tenants will not pay large power bills, as each dwelling has six solar panels and north facing winter solar access. Properties also have:
- shared storage and parking bays
- vegetable gardens & fruit trees
- outdoor living areas.
Construction
The single-storey dwellings feature double-glazed UPVC windows and an adjoining 2000L rainwater tank. Low VOC paints and hardware are used.
The homes have prefabricated, fully-insulated, timber-frame cassettes for all floors, ceilings, and internal and external walls. We use locally sourced timber products and other materials whenever possible.
This building method eases the building and dismantling process of each house and makes it possible to move the dwellings to other sites if necessary.
Passivhaus
Passivhaus principles are adopted for the design of all My Home houses. This includes:
- Interior fresh air exchange so no air conditioning is required.
- Above standard insulation.
- Airtight membrane lining walls, ceiling and floor.
- Double glazing.
- Minimal thermal bridging by avoiding steel or metal materials.
My Home project funded?
The My Home project helps those in need and is supported by Government (State and Local), church groups, private sector and community housing providers.
Lotterywest has contributed $2.2 million, Minderoo Foundation provided $500,000 and the project’s contingency costs were covered by the Sisters of St John of God. The gardens, furniture, linens and household items are being provided by Rotary WA.
Highbury Homes have helped to build the dwellings and found cost-efficient suppliers and trades.
Developments
Dianella. A new development will commence in land owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth. It will include 40 social housing dwellings for a wide mix of tenants, including homeless people, single parents, unemployed or low-income residents, elderly people and individuals wait-listed for public housing.
East Victoria Park. Another project includes five homes to be built on a state-owned quarter-acre block.
Two more sites in Mundijong and Armadale have been identified with potential for more than 60 homes.