Urban schools today face numerous challenges. Urban poverty; high mobility in and out of neighborhoods; schools with inadequate funding to cover the educational, social, and health needs of urban children and their families; and high teacher turnover are just a few of the vital issues that call for partnerships with communities, service agencies, and universities. Three years ago, the California State University, Sacramento Urban Teacher Education Center (UTEC) moved into an urban elementary school that serves children from two public housing projects. By establishing an ongoing presence at the school, this teacher education program has become positioned well to help enhance the school-community efforts to collaborate. This was seen especially during one year when the school had four rotating principals, and the community turned to UTEC for some stability. Examples include UTEC providing a "community liaison," providing tutors for the neighborhood tutoring/mentoring program held within the housing complex, parents asking UTEC to speak to administration on their behalf, and UTEC's creation of a Family Resource Center. This proposed presentation will discuss the process of gaining the trust of community members and describe examples of how this program has been able to enhance school-community connections.