It is about supply and demand. Not enough homes and prices soar, and that is why shelter in Hawaii costs so much.

It is also about the numb faces of parents and children huddled under tarps in the rain on streets and beaches from Waianae to Kakaako.

Homelessness is not just a problem; it is a defining part of Hawaii. It is up 32 percent in Honolulu in five years. The latest Hawaii Poll reports that homelessness is Honolulu’s third-biggest issue.

The city says it is on war footing.

"It’s time to declare a war on homelessness, which is evolving into a crisis in Honolulu," Mayor Kirk Caldwell said last year.

In an interview this week, Caldwell said he is leading a three-pronged attack featuring some version of tiny houses or shipping container housing alongside existing housing, and coordinating affordable housing along the rail line and finally changing developers’ regulations to nudge more lower-cost housing.

Tiny houses are dubbed "accessory dwelling units" and Caldwell wants them included in neighborhoods on single-family lots. According to a city position paper, Caldwell envisions between 17,000 and 22,000 rental units.

Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE) has an example of one such unit parking at City Hall. It is a clever use of space.

There are bunk beds for three and a larger bed for a couple. So the unit, which is just 8 feet wide and 20 feet long, could house a family of five in 160 square feet. It is mostly just shelter from the storm; the unit at City Hall does not include a bathroom or kitchen.

John Rogers, owner of Affordable Portable Housing that designs and builds units like the one at City Hall, says by making the dwellings with prefab panels, instead of shipping containers, the building costs can be cut to $70 a square foot.

"If the mayor gets the auxiliary dwelling bill passed, there will be a ton of people who could legally build this," Rogers predicted.

The ministers with FACE, however, say the dynamic has changed; something serious must be done now to build houses that Honolulu’s people can afford and not just be shuttled to shipping containers.

"The experience of Kakaako is fresh in all our minds — without regulatory compulsion no developer will build with any length or depth of affordability," said the Rev. Bob Nakata, FACE spokesman.

Fearing that Hawaii is transforming into "a playground for wealthy people from far away" with no place for working Hawaii families, Nakata urges a "grand compromise." That means agreeing to loosen density, parking height limits and setbacks to entice developers to build low-priced housing.

FACE and Caldwell have many issues in common and some differences about what needs to go first to battle the housing crisis, but what is new is that finally some of the big players are at least flying in formation.

The bothersome part is that this is not the first time state and county government have recognized the problem, vowed action and then watched as the housing void deepened.

What is new is that now the public at large, not just those looking for shelter, say "Fix it."

To make that stick, the city and the state need actual goals, with housing numbers and dates when the houses will be built — some measurements that show how new homes will be built.

Housing summits and wars on homelessness are fine, but anything less than hammering building stakes into the ground is just pie in the sky.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com