Giving Compass' Take:

· At the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting this past week, leaders from the West Coast spoke up about the growing homelessness crisis and called for collective efforts to find a solution.

· How can federal, state, and local governments work with donors to build a solution to this crisis? 

· Read more about homelessness and what you can do to help.

Calls for bi-partisanship and stronger collective efforts with the federal government were echoed among the mayors on the panel. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he planned to meet with U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson to discuss a recent letter written to Carson requesting federal help on the issue.

Garcetti’s move to work with the federal government follows a recent HUD report that found the rate of homelessness in California has increased 16.4%, or by 21,306 people — more than the total increase of every other state combined. Newsom pledged $1 billion in state funding to help reduce homelessness in response to the report’s findings.

Honolulu’s new inflatable tents solution is also an interesting move in light of the Supreme Court's recent refusal to hear an appeal to a homeless camping ban. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Hawaii, ruled that cities can’t arrest people experiencing homelessness who sleep in public spaces if the city doesn’t provide alternative shelter.

Honolulu Housing Director Marc Alexander responded to the December SCOTUS decision by saying the city will still "sweep" people experiencing homelessness from parks and sidewalks. The inflatable tents situated in parks with some police monitoring could be a solution to that very problem, providing resources to people experiencing homelessness ideally without criminalizing them.

Read the full article about the homelessness crisis by Cailin Crowe at Smart Cities Dive.