This book chapter describes the 14-year evolution of Community Behavioral Services, a provincial government-operated program in Edmonton, Alberta. The program began in 1976 as a residential treatment facility for individuals having mental retardation and severely challenging behaviors. Later, a specialized family home was established as a halfway house between the residential program and family placement. Still later, these residential facilities were replaced by alternative programs which provided relief, consultation, and intensive support as well as workshops and seminars to parents and community agencies. The paper describes several problems associated with residential programs, processes involved in planning the transition from residential to outreach services, and evaluation procedures and instruments used to ensure effective service delivery. (JDD)