"Place-based assistance" is not a new concept. Asking what people want and finding ways to give it to them sounds simplistic, but it can result in "win-win" solutions in which everyone involved benefits. This document is a guide to using networking and surveys of residents to determine community needs. Some case studies show networking and surveys in action in creating computer centers, developing programs for a complex for the elderly, and establishing services and programs in another residence for the elderly. For example, residents in one community felt it was absolutely necessary to expose their children to computers, they could not afford to get computers themselves, and the schools were not doing it. Forty percent of adult residents have less than a high school education, i.e., do not have a high school diploma. The computer center was developed here in 6 months, holding a total of 11 computers and has proven to be overwhelmingly popular from the community's children to elderly. Similarly, the Fellowship Computer Center of New Haven, Connecticut was developed for individuals with psychiatric or substance abuse problems. Computers, scanners, printers, and color printers were donated and purchased; classes on learning data entry and word processing were scheduled. A work training program that helps get individuals full computer literacy for employment was set up here as well. The success story of a services coordination program provides another illustration of determining resident needs in a rental community where most tenants were immigrants with little formal knowledge of English. The ideas from the case studies and examples are incorporated into advice for fostering community vision and developing networks and communication patterns. Some suggestions are given for constructing surveys to determine resident needs. The discussions of vision, networking, communication, and surveys are also provided in Spanish. (SLD)