NILS loan gets Glynis' business firing
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Glynis* lives alone in a remote area of northern NSW. She loves the serenity and the “quiet country-town atmosphere and people”, but the downside has been a severe lack of local employment opportunities in recent times.
Glynis has had a variety of jobs over the years, from farmwork to commercial cleaning and employment in the hospitality industry.
Entering her 50s, Glynis started finding work harder to come by. So two years ago, she decided to start a small firewood business, but couldn’t afford necessary repairs to her trailer and chainsaw.
She then heard about The Salvation Army's No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS), which provides loans of up to $1500 to people who are on low incomes and are unable to qualify for other affordable loans. Glynis applied and was approved.
With the business underway, it didn't take long to pay off the loan. Glynis later took out another NILS loan to carry out repairs to her ageing car, which she needed to tow the trailer.
NILS offers a variety of loans. The main loans are for purchasing or repairing essential household and personal items such as refrigerators, washing machines, purchasing medical equipment, for urgent medical and dental procedures, or for urgent repairs to vehicles.
But other loans are also granted for a range of courses and educational purposes and, on occasion, for small businesses.
According to Salvos NILS head Tony Devlin, loans for very small businesses such as the purchase of a lawnmower or whipper-snipper, are an area that Salvos NILS is looking to expand.
“Salvos NILS is all about building capacity,” Tony says.
“In Glynis’ case, she was keen to do something for herself. She provided a brief business plan and her NILS worker prepared a budget to ensure she had the capacity to repay the loan. Glynis was already doing amazingly well to live within $500 a fortnight on Newstart and had no other debts, so was managing her limited finances incredibly well.”
Tony says without NILS help, especially in emergency situations, many people end up in worse positions, and their capacity to survive financially becomes seriously diminished.
“They may be forced to go to high-interest fringe lenders and so spiral into even greater hardship,” he says.
Glynis’ NILS officer, Jo Patch, says the small loans have had a significant and positive impact on many of the people she helps.
“Glynis has said to me that she would be in a very hard place financially and emotionally without the support, and she is so appreciative,” Jo says. “She has said that her life is so much better now she is able to work, that she has purpose and more freedom and independence.”
*Name changed.
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