Need emergency cash? Payday loans aren’t your only alternative.

Barbara Martinez was driving home on Interstate 55 when another car merged too soon, swiping her 2011 Honda Civic and putting her in a financial bind. Her insurance would pay for repairs – the other driver was uninsured – but her deductible was high and she lacked savings to pay it.

Millions of Americans find themselves in the same predicament, short of cash with bills to pay. Often they borrow from friends and relatives. But many also turn to payday loans that are easy to get but hard to pay back.

Ms. Martinez, who is 40, had taken a payday loan before: $350, to be repaid in two weeks, plus fees. “I remember thinking ... it’s going to take so much money to pay this back,’” she says.

This time she had an alternative. A local

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