The world of charter school facilities is sometimes strange. Many charter operators have had to show considerable creativity and resourcefulness in finding a place to educate their students, whether it's a former K-Mart or car dealership, a church facility, or space in an office complex. Obtaining and paying for adequate facilities are often big problems for the independent public schools. Those problems are especially acute for new schools not affiliated with larger management organizations that may have more infrastructure, access to money, and other advantages. In general, charters face a much tougher time than regular public schools in financing facilities, analysts say. This article reports on efforts across the public and private sectors to help charters meet the facilities challenge which have increased substantially in recent years, with the federal government, states, philanthropies, and others stepping up. Analysts, though, say the help still falls far short of the need. An increasingly popular way to help charters--and a method that's much cheaper than direct aid--is "creating credit-enhancement programs" that provide some form of full or partial guarantee for charter schools' debts, easing the risk for lenders. Those programs help charters get loans, and at more favorable rates.