The philosophical and practical aspects of the retarded citizen's need for a home in the community are discussed in 14 author contributed chapters dealing with people and communities, rights and independence, home and community, services and communities, and action and advocacy. Chapters cover the following topics: "Community Life and Individual Needs" (C. Cherington); "Listen! Let Us Speak" (R. Audette); "Whom Do We Call Retarded?" (G. Dybwad); "The Retarded Citizen and the Law" (D. Freedman); "The Goal of Independence" (J. Howse); "A Parent Speaks" and "What Is A Home?" (L. Moise); "Creating Community Homes" (N. Newman); "A System of Services" (S. Gelman); "One Service System at Work" (B. Lensink); "Service Delivery in Rural Areas" (D. Popp); "Outreach in Urban Areas" (T. Graf); "New Directions for Volunteers" (R. Perske); "The Politics of Community Action" (T. Holland), and a summary of fundamental principles, goals and new directions (R. Freedman). (CL)