Policy makers, funders, and researchers have begun to recognize the effectiveness of community-building as a strategy to address the concerns of underserved communities. This paper describes and outlines the steps involved in implementing Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Turning Ideas into Action, a two-part program that facilitates the community-building process for low-income public housing residents. The program begins with a Community Dialogue in each public housing community in Milwaukee, followed by opportunities for residents to apply for small grants from the Community Action Fund to implement their own programs to help improve their overall quality of life. Benefits and challenges to implementing this program are also described. Developed and implemented by a community-academic partnership, this initiative has had success in large part due to the partnership’s philosophy of working with the community.