Urban renewal has been the dominant approach to revitalizing industrialized communities that fall into decline. Detroit, with its vast majority Black population and struggling auto industry, encountered such decline. The Skillman Foundation sought to engage in a joint effort to bring Detroit back to its position of strength. With its mission of enhancing the development and well-being of children, Skillman entered partnerships with six Detroit neighborhoods with the largest concentrations of children whose well-being and development was at risk. The Foundation solicited the technical assistance of the University of Michigan School of Social Work. This book introduces readers to the environment within which the work of technical assistance began. The work is placed within a theoretical and practice context. This includes conducting needs assessments at multiple levels, engaging community members in identifying strategies for problem-solving, assistance in developing community goals for immediate and long-term success, and implementing social work field instruction opportunities. Lessons learned and challenges are described as they played out in the process of creating partnerships for the Foundation with community leaders, engaging and maintaining youth involvement, managing roles and relationships with multiple partners recruited by the Foundation for their specialized expertise, and conducting the work of technical assistance within a context of increasing influence of the city’s surrounding systems (political, economic, educational, and social). Readers will note the role of technical assistance in an evolving theory of change. Case vignettes, case-based discussion questions, and additional resources in each chapter provide an excellent opportunity for classroom use.