As Melbourne’s public housing towers await demolition, some residents prepare to leave while others hold out

‘This is home’: Nafisa Ali and her husband Mohamed are being forced to move out of their Flemington flat, as the high-rise is slated for demolition. Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

Nafisa Ali is preparing to leave behind the flat she has called home for almost 20 years. She and her husband, Mohamed, settled in one of Melbourne’s high-rise public housing towers when they arrived in Australia as refugees from Sudan. Now, the Flemington tower is one of the first five to be demolished under the Andrews-era plan to redevelop all 44 high-rises by 2051.

The couple are planning to accept an offer next week to move into a nearby tower, knowing it, too, is marked for demolition in the coming years.