Leviticus Loans provides access to interest-free, affordable credit for people on low incomes who have little other chance of accessing such credit.

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In the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus, Leviticus Loans provides access to interest-free, affordable credit for people on low incomes who have little other chance of accessing such credit.

Mercy Foundation

Leviticus Loans

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	Background to the Service During the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty (1996) and in response to the Australian Catholic Bishops’ People First! conference (November 1996), a group of interested Christians got together over a couple of lunches and began to consider informally some of the ideas and initiatives which were happening around Australia. The No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS), run by the Good Shepherd Youth & Family Services in Melbourne, was of particular interest. This informal, ecumenical group invited others to an exploratory meeting about the introduction of a Church-sponsored NILS in WA. This group met from mid 1997 and provided the motivation, impetus and commitment to establish a similar scheme locally. Leviticus Loans was born. The name for the resulting scheme is derived from the Judao- Christian tradition of Jubilee, direct reference to which is found in the Old Testament: If other Israelites living near you become poor and cannot support themselves, you must provide for them as you would for those you hire, so that they can continue to live near you. Do not charge them any interest, but obey God and let other Israelites live near you. Do not make them pay interest on the money you lend them, and do not make a profit on the food you sell them. This is the command of the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt in order to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God Leviticus 25:35 Further suport for this initiative is to be found in the words of the Pope. In his annual message for World Day of Peace (January 1, 1998), Pope John Paul II stated that people living in poverty endure a particularly offensive form of injustice brought about by not having the possibility of fair access to credit: “The poor are often obliged to remain outside the normal financial system or to place themselves in the hands of unscrupulous money-lenders who charge exorbitant rates of interest...For this reason it is everyone’s duty to ensure that the poor have access to credit on equitable terms and at affordable interest rates...for this is the path that can lead to the radical elimination of the shameful scourge of usury, by giving everyone access to the economic means needed for the development of families and communities” Participating Agencies Five local agencies have participated in the initial three year pilot project: Mercy Community Services, the Catholic Migrant Centre, the Christian Centre for Social Action, the Society of St Vincent de Paul and the Migrant and Refugee group. These agencies self-selected because they had expressed an interest in NILS, they had some experience in running similar schemes and they offered services to a range of different constituents in various geographical locations. These Service Delivery Agencies (SDA’s) have developed a set of Principles of Understanding to detail the collaborative relationship between themselves and Mercy Community Services which accepted the invitation to manage the project. As the start-up funding for the pilot project was relatively small, it was necessary to have a limited number of outlets while the scheme was established. There may be other agencies interested in participating and, should they wish, they can share in the experiences of the pilot program as it evolves. Leviticus Loans welcomes expressions of interest from others. Mission Statement Leviticus Loans Mission statement.... In the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus, Leviticus Loans provides access to interest-free, affordable credit for people on low incomes who have little other chance of accessing such credit. AIMS Leviticus Loans aims to give expression to various ideals of the Church, to assist borrowers and to further the mission of the particpating agencies For Church, * make real the Christian belief that we live in a benevolent universe by providing connections between scarcity and abundance * model an appropriate way of using our surplus funds * challenge ourselves and other Church agencies to discern Gospel-centred investment policies * expose others to active, practical alternatives to the profit-making ethos of a consumer culture, where acquisition, privatisation, storing of wealth for future consumption and personal gratification are widely idolised * value a belief that engaging in relationships is important in itself for borrowers... Þ offer access to affordable, manageable credit Þ provide a means to enhance self-esteem through ownership of new products, development of new financial management skills and sense of achievement Þ enable engagement in relationship with providers of financial and other community services Þ encourage a sense of companionship and solidarity Þ give opportunities to become peer supporters of others within their own community and, with experience, to become members of the Loans Committee... A new beginning for the eradication of poverty requires....the inclusion of poor people in the process of eradicating poverty, with poor people playing the central role and the contribution of those not in poverty being ultimately at the service of poor people. (People First, p8) for participating agencies... ¨ opportunities for collaboration from the beginning for grassroots, community agencies ¨ the potential to expand to include a No Interest Deposits Scheme (NIDS), or Credit Union for individuals, borrowers, Church groups... ¨ opportunities for further contact with those without access to adequate resources ¨ involvement in a process of listening to the voice of the poor with dignity and respect ¨ development of new skills and challenges for staff and Board members