by Megan Blacklow

The Port Douglas Neighbourhood Centre No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) last week celebrated three years of providing people on low incomes with loans to purchase essential household items, have their car repaired or to pay for vital health needs.

Our photo shows me giving Marylou a NILS portable file. Marylou is one of a number of community members who have paid off three or more loans, and is thrilled with the fact that she can buy good quality new items for herself and her family.

In the last three years the scheme has loaned over $100,000 to eligible members of the Douglas community, our predominate clientele are Indigenous Australians, single parents and Disability Support Pensioners.

NILS is not just about loaning money, the NILS loan process helps to develop financial literacy, strengthen money management skills and build assets. 

The loan assessment process encourages reflection on existing household expenditure and provides information about instalment payment schemes such as Centrepay, to pay rent and utility payments, and other helpful money management strategies.
 
Loan recipients know that their efforts in sticking to their repayment plans benefit not just themselves, but the wider community, as repayments are re-allocated to our loan capital. 

The recycling principle is being demonstrated by our scheme, each month repayments equal or exceed the amount of money loaned out.
 
Last year a couple attended the Neighbourhood Centre for Emergency Relief and Material Aid.  They were living in a tent during our wet season and our centre was able to help them by providing dry clothes and bedding, and food vouchers. 

The emergency relief worker also referred the clients to our local Indigenous Family Support Service to apply for emergency housing.

Once the clients secured affordable housing they were referred by their support worker to the NILS program.  The husband applied for a loan for a washing machine and the wife applied for a loan for a refrigerator.  These loans were approved and have both been fully repaid.

To witness people going from being homeless to living in a house with a new washing machine and refrigerator is testament to the difference NILS can make to people’s lives.

Recently we were successful in a grant application of $5000 from the federal government to cover the cost of, among other advertising products and financial literacy aids, the design and production of pamphlets and posters more appealing to our indigenous community members. 

Appropriately, one of our indigenous NILS clients has created the artwork.  Artist Pamela Salt says her painting is inspired by her experience as a NILS client.

The image is now used on all our NILS advertising products and interest has been shown in using this image Australia wide. 

For more information phone the Neighbourhood Centre on 40995518.

Megan Blacklow is the NILS Co-ordinator at the Port Douglas Neighbourhood Centre 

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