(bright music) - I'm Stephen Hegg in the Crosscut KCTS 9 newsroom.

Outreach providers and social workers are teaming up to combat drugs, crime and poverty in the heart of downtown Seattle.

We Deliver Care is part of the newly formed Third Avenue Project, a coalition that includes the Public Defender Association, the Downtown Emergency Service Center, and other agencies.

In addition to trying to de-escalate conflicts, We Deliver Care ambassadors handout water, snacks, and other basic supplies.

They're also building relationships with people engaged in the black market centered at Third and Pike, trying to connect them with the help they need.

The Third Avenue Project wants to accomplish what many before have failed to do, end the open air drug and stolen goods market that has pervaded the heart of downtown Seattle for decades.

The coalition's goal is to maintain a constant and friendly presence in the area, which they hope will build trust with people and help them find legal ways to earn a living.

I'm Steven Hegg.

Find nonprofit northwest news every day on Crosscut.com.