By Michaela Holloway
Hello Sector!
There’s been a lot of discussion lately about data centres and the enormous amount of planning, energy and infrastructure required to keep machines operating at safe temperatures.
At the same time, Waterloo is undergoing one of the biggest public housing redevelopments in Sydney. It is an opportunity to build homes that will serve the community for generations, and to get some fundamental things right.
One of those is how we protect residents from extreme heat.
At the 3 September REDWatch meeting on lessening the impacts of climate change in social housing, Homes NSW advised that it is reviewing funding opportunities to install air conditioning across the new Waterloo South social housing buildings. No final funding decision has been made, but it is encouraging that Homes NSW has recognised the importance of the issue and is actively pursuing options.
The meeting also brought together research on summer temperatures in social housing, proposed Minimum Energy Efficiency Rental Standards and findings on heat from the Waterloo Human Impact Assessment. Together, they reinforce something residents already know: overheating in poorly designed homes is not just uncomfortable, it can be a serious health and housing issue.
It was also one of the issues raised when Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson and local member Tanya Plibersek recently visited ISV to speak with peer educators from our Done By Us project about heatwave preparedness and resilience in social and community housing.
Residents in the existing Waterloo towers have long had to find their own ways to manage heat, covering windows and adapting their living spaces during hot weather.
The redevelopment gives us the chance to do better.
Good passive design, insulation, shading and ventilation should reduce the need for mechanical cooling. But when extreme conditions make it necessary, residents should also have the ability to cool their homes safely.
If we can design buildings to maintain safe temperatures for servers and machines, surely we can design public housing that keeps people safe too.
On a brighter note, ISV is pleased to welcome Sarah Pedersen to our team. Sarah joins us from Community Industry Group, the peak body for the not-for-profit community and human services sector in Southern NSW, and brings an aged care background that adds a valuable skillset to our team.
We were also delighted to recognise frontline workers from across inner Sydney at our annual Inner Sydney Thanks You event. Now in its fourth year, the event brought together workers supporting children, young people and families for a morning of recognition, reflection and connection.
We have also trained 13 volunteer Community Peer Educators to deliver community vaccination information sessions, with the first sessions now underway. You can find out more about the project and access the resources we are sharing on our website.
Don’t forget to say Hello!
Thanks,
Michaela