For over a century, community change initiatives (CCIs) have been used by community development professionals to improve community well-being and reverse socio- economic distress in low-income communities. CCIs are comprehensive community development efforts that seek to address all socio-economic issues simultaneously. The study posits to successfully effect community change, the scale and scope of CCIs should be limited and must address the basic needs of the community before aspiring to higher level community needs. The study employs statistical action research methods, a survey, and interviews to obtain and analyze quantitative and qualitative data. Descriptive statistics, crosstabulations, and analysis of variance were used to examine research questions and test hypotheses. This study examines public administrators’ and practitioners’ CCI experiences and perceptions, assesses the need and desire for a CCI framework that targets and builds on the achievement of lower-level community needs prior to targeting higher-level needs, and proposes a CCI framework based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as expounded in his theory of motivation. Research reveals a connection between individual need attainment and community well-being. The study discovers difficulties public administrators and practitioners experience with CCI development and implementation in communities in which residents’ basic needs are not met. The study finds the pressure of coping with socio-economic challenges are perceived to overwhelm residents and leave them unable to participate meaningfully in CCIs. The study further finds that the scale and scope of CCIs are perceived to strain staff and organizational infrastructure. In addition, results show a preference for a CCI that builds on the achievement of meeting basic resident needs.