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St George battlers have been thrown a lifeline with the Uniting Church’s Kogarah Storehouse offering no interest loans for the purchase of essential items. The No Interest Loan Scheme will open to the public on July 2, offering loans of up to $1500. The loans can be used for household items such as furniture, fridges, washing machines, stoves, dryers, freezers, heaters, or for medical and dental services, educational essentials, car repairs, tyres and registration. There is no interest or charges and the principal can be paid off at an amount that borrowers can afford The No Interest Loan Scheme was the initiative of Kogarah Storehouse manager Lala Noronha. “We identified the need for our clients, especially single and young mothers who have borrowed money for essentials from money lenders,” Ms Noronha said. “One young mother who came to us said she had 34 per cent interest on a $1200 loan. Her financial problem was just getting deeper and deeper. She has two kids to support and she was very depressed. “She came to us and I knew then that I had to refer her to a no interest loan. “So I thought why don’t we have this service here to make it easier for our clients.” The loans are financed by Baptist Care’s Good Shepherd Microfinance which works closely with community organisations such as Kogarah Storehouse. “We process the loan with our clients able to apply for up to $1500 for essential goods. The life of the loan can go up to 18 months,” Ms Noronha said. “We process everything and send the application to Baptist Care. “We adjust the repayment to their income. “This will be a lifesaver for a lot of people, especially young mothers with children who are starting school.” Kogarah Storehouse distributes food parcels and free groceries to more than 3300 households a year and helps with Electricity Account Payment Assistance, and Gas and Telstra Bills. Many of Kogarah Storehouse’s clients come from the Kogarah, Bexley and Rockdale area. “Everyday people come here in financial difficulty due to the increasing cost of living, higher energy prices and food costs,” Ms Noronha said. “This makes life for people on low income very stressful. “The increasing demand for our services is due to demographic changes, Ms Noronha said. “There’s a lot more people coming to live in these areas. Most of the people we see have problems because the rent is very high and they are not in public housing.” Ms Noronha said the most important thing is to provide all the necessary documents whether healthcare card, pension card, low income card or Department of Veterans’ Affairs card, bank and credit card statements for the past three months, a rental statements from the past three months, a Centrelink Income Statement, payslips if they are working, copies of utility bills, loans stations, bank account details. “We can’t process the loan without all the complete documents.” To make an appointment call Kogarah Storehouse Monday and Thursday, 9.30am to 3.30pm and Friday, 9.30am to 12 noon. Phone 9587 5761. The Kogarah Storehouse is located on the corner of Kensington and Gray Streets, Kogarah.

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