A large and growing number of urban dwellers live in poverty; 900 million live in overcrowded shelters in informal settlements lacking adequate provision for basic services such as water and sanitation. Many are at risk of eviction; most face serious health risks. But even in the absence of adequate government or donor programmes, families work together to improve their lives. In many nations, organized grassroots communities have been supporting each other and, after a decade of innovation, their solutions are now reaching thousands of families. This booklet describes how they have achieved this.