The Church of England and synagogues have launched projects to help indebted community members.
One such example is a "credit crunch network" of lawyers and employment specialists, brought together by Yitzchak Schochet, rabbi of the Mill Hill Synagogue in London, to provide free advice to members of the Jewish community.
Regent's Park Mosque in London is one of the UK's biggest Islamic cultural centres. It reported a threefold rise in free legal advice. Abdullah Abdou, the centre's education officer and librarian said there had been a noticeable increase in the numbers applying for "zakat", a system of tithes similar to "alms for the poor"....