A home of her own.When Florence Galarita was handed the keys to her brand new

home in Murray Bridge, she was overwhelmed with gratitude.

After years of struggle, the mother of three thought she would

never feel the security of owning a home, but a chance meeting

with a representative from Habitat for Humanity changed all that.

Following her husband’s employment, Florence immigrated to

Australia from the Philippines with her children. Unfortunately,

soon after the move, her marriage ended and Florence had to

stand on her own two feet. She resisted the urge to return to

the Philippines and decided to rent a house while she studied to

upgrade her teaching qualifications.

After some “very sad and very hard” years, Florence became a

qualified junior primary school teacher and was invited to speak to

students about Filipino culture and language at a school where a

representative from Habitat for Humanity happened to also

be speaking.

After listening to the presentation about how the organisation

helps build homes in partnership with low-income families that

help build the house as part of a ‘sweat equity’ agreement,

Florence applied to participate in the program and was accepted.

By this time, Florence had found new partner and handyman,

Alvin. He rolled up his sleeves and did the landscaping, including

laying the paving and building a retaining wall, to help build a

home for her and her children.

Bank SA assisted Florence with finance through HomeStart who

have assisted many Habitat for Humanity clients get started too.

As a first home buyer building a brand new home, Florence was

eligible for $23,500 in grants from the State Government, which

HomeStart accepted towards her deposit, fees and charges.

This meant she needed less deposit to get started towards

owning a home.

In June 2013, Florence was able to move into her new home.

She describes the feeling of finally owning her home as “joyous”.

“I am so happy, I could cry,” she says.

Florence, her children and Alvin are now Australian citizens after

participating in citizenship ceremonies in Murray Bridge.

“I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me build a new

home and a new life in Australia.”

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Page 2 • Simple energy

saving tips

Page 3 • From the CEO

Page 4 • Financial assistance options • Win a $500 IKEA voucher

Simple energy saving tips for the kitchen.

Here are some quick and easy options to help you save energy in the kitchen from LJ Hooker.

Cooking with gas If possible, use gas for cooking. Gas is generally cheaper and it’s less damaging to the environment than coal-fired electricity production. Turn the gas down to keep flames under the pot rather than up the sides. Gently simmer pots with the lid on rather than boiling vigorously. If you have to use electricity to cook, use a microwave where practical.

Boil the water you need Use an electric kettle instead of the electric stovetop to boil water. Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need.

Making toast Cooking toast in a toaster instead of under the grill reduces energy use by up to 75%.

Choose energy and water efficient appliances The Energy Rating label enables you to compare the energy efficiency of domestic appliances in a fair and balanced way. The higher the “stars” the better, especially with high-energy appliances like fridges; the extra cost can be recouped within the first year of ownership. To compare specific appliances such as air conditioners, clothes dryers, clothes washers, dishwashers and TVs, visit energyrating.gov.au

Save rinsing water Rinse vegetables over a bowl and tip the water in the garden or a pot plant. You can also buy tubs with a handle and plug, which fit snugly in the kitchen sink to make it easy to transport water to the garden.

Run a full load in the dishwasher The less the dishwasher is used the more energy is saved. And wait until the dishwasher is full before running it; cleaning a small number of dishes is a waste of water. Connecting the dishwasher to the hot water tap so it doesn’t have to heat its own water will save on running costs.

Scrape rather than rinse Scrape dishes rather than rinse before washing where possible, or use less water by not rinsing dishes under running water.

Keep the fridge well ventilated Ensure you leave at least 50mm of space at the top, back and sides to improve ventilation and let your fridge work at its best.

Place the fridge in a cool spot Locate fridges and freezers in cool spots, away from direct sun and other heat sources such as stoves.

Don’t open the fridge door too often In most households, the fridge uses more power than any other appliance. To cut energy use, try to limit the number of times you open the fridge door, and never leave it open. The recommended operating temperature for a fridge is 3°C to 5°C. For freezers, the recommended range is minus 15 to minus 18°C.

Don’t place hot items in the fridge Wait until a dish has cooled down before placing it in the fridge. Put cold items back into the fridge after use rather than letting them warm to room temperature.

Switch off the second fridge If you have a second fridge, consider how often your “drinks fridge” is really used. Turn it on only when you need it, such as for parties or when you have guests staying, and put the drinks you use on a daily basis in the main fridge. A second fridge can cost up to three cartons of beer a year to run.

Check the age of your fridge

If your fridge is over 10 years old, it may pay to consider replacing it as fridge efficiency has improved considerably in the past 10 years.

Check fridge seals Check and clean seals on your fridge to make sure the door closes securely. You can do this by putting a piece of paper or even a $5 note between the door and the fridge cabinet. Close the door. Try to gently pull the paper out; if it slips out easily with no suction of the paper, you may need to take a closer look to see if cool air is escaping. If so, replace the seals or adjust the door hinge. If there is some “drag” on the paper the seal is working. Regularly remove any frost build-up in the freezer.

For more tips on saving energy, visit liveability.com.au

Please note the refer a friend reward program is currently under review. We’ll let you know when it’s back and what exciting rewards are on offer to help your friends and family get started with HomeStart too.

Refer a friend program.

Helping young achievers

HomeStart has always strongly valued its close links with the community and we are committed to supporting young people and encouraging them to achieve their dreams.

That’s why we have been the principal prize patron of the Channel 9 Young Achiever Awards for nine years. We want to applaud young people’s pursuit of excellence through leadership, vision, commitment and community involvement and believe it is our responsibility to recognise their excellence and support them to take the next step.

The overall winner for 2013 was Kate Gunn who won the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Health Award and the Premier’s / Channel 9 Young Achiever of the Year Award in recognition of her achievements in rural mental health.

From the CEO.

Do you like to browse the web while on the move? Check out mystart.com.au for quick savings tips that could help you save money for a holiday, renovations or give you some budgeting ideas.

MyStart, HomeStart’s learning centre, is now easy to navigate and view on mobile devices.

Articles of interest include:

• Kid’s fun on a budget• Be a water-wise home owner• Get started on cleansing your home• Why less is more when renovating• 5 tips to improve the value of your home• 5 savvy supermarket shopping tips

There are heaps more articles to explore. So, the next time you have a few minutes to spare on your mobile, visit mystart.com.au

HomeStart believes in the power and potential of all young people and that having a home shouldn’t be something that they should ever have to worry about achieving. We want to help them get started sooner so they can lay the foundations for a successful and sustainable future from which we can all benefit.

That’s what we aim to address at HomeStart and why we develop innovative solutions to get young people into their own home and make home ownership a reality for more people, in more ways.

HomeStart will again sponsor the Young Achievers Awards in 2014.

If you know of someone you’d like to nominate visit awardsaustralia.com

Do you know someone aspiring to achieve home ownership like you did? Then tell them about HomeStart! The State Government grants offer first home buyers building or buying a brand new home up to $23,500 but this expires 31 December 2013.

There are also other options in the city with stamp duty concessions so encourage your friends and family to find out how HomeStart can help them get started sooner.

Encourage others to get started sooner.

Grab savings tips on the go!

✁

Spruce up with a $500 IKEA voucher!

Conditions of entry: The competition commences on 7 October 2013 and ends on 18 November 2013. Only existing HomeStart customers are eligible to enter. One prize is on offer. Total prize value is $500 as an IKEA gift voucher that is subject to gift card terms of use and not redeemable for cash. The draw will be conducted by HomeStart Finance, 153 Flinders Street, Adelaide on 19 November 2013 at 10am. There will be one winner and they will be notified by phone. A selection of tips will be published in the next newsletter edition and attributed to your first name and suburb however this does not constitute winning the prize.

Do you need to replace some cookware, add some new cushions, change the curtains or just need some brand new furniture? A $500 IKEA voucher will certainly help you get started!

For your chance to win, tell us your best spring cleaning tip to share in the next newsletter edition and return this form by 18 November 2013 to Newsletter Competition, HomeStart Finance, 153 Flinders Street, Adelaide SA 5000.

Name

Address

Email

Loan number

Postcode

Daytime phone

Spring cleaning tip:

While HomeStart gives you options to borrow more for home improvements with a Home Equity Loan, you may need to borrow less than the minimum loan amount of $5,000 for unforeseen essential items.

That’s where Anglicare SA’s No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) could help. It’s a no interest, no fees loan from $250-$1,200 to help people on lower incomes purchase essential household items such as whitegoods, electrical goods, computers or essential medical and dental expenses.

Repayments are based on your financial situation and paid over 12 to 24 months via Centrepay.

Financial assistance options.

The RSPCA are always looking for volunteers to lend a helping hand. HomeStart staff spent a corporate volunteering day helping all creatures great and small! Visit rspcasa.asn.au to see how you could help.

Volunteering at the RSPCA.

Eligibility:

• You need to have lived in your area for 12 months or more• You are on a low income• You hold a Government Concession Card To find out more about Anglicare SA and the NILS loan, call them on 8256 2170 between 1-4pm on business days.

HomeStart staff volunteering at the RSPCA.