This document is the final report of a study conducted to determine what factors contribute to strong Black family life and how these strong families solve problems, in order to add to the knowledge base on stable families so as to enhance practical intervention with families in need, and to identify models of self-help strategies used by stable families. The study group consisted of 26 husband-wife families and 24 female-headed families in the Washington, D.C. area. Individual interviews were conducted to determine the families' socio-demographic characteristics, neighboring and organizational participation, daily routines, skills, problems, and coping strategies, as well as religiosity, depression, and family environment. It was found that the sample group was above the median compared to other Black and White families in income, education, and employment. They were found to be resourceful and unlikely to seek outside help to solve problems. The problems most frequently experienced by the group pertained to finance, marriage, and children. The most often cited problem with children was depression. Job dissatisfaction was reported more than any other concern. All respondents, especially single women, were very religious, and most displayed no symptoms of depression. Some suggestions drawn from this study for helping other Black families with their problems are: (1) churches should develop family programs; (2) programs should stress prevention themes; (3) churches could use stable family members as family aides; (4) the incidence of depression in Black children should be further studied; and (5) self-help materials and activities should be emphasized. Eighteen tables are included in the text. (CG)