Prepared for the Downtown East Community Development Collective (DECDC), a consortium of community agencies and public institutions located in the southeast downtown of Toronto, this report: a) examines the practice of employment linkage programs, identifying best practices; and b) proposes a strategy to DECDC, having regard to the experience of others and the circumstances relating to the southeast downtown (including the range of existing services, the specific needs of local residents and agency clients, and the funding climate).