LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A local artist and activist is using his craft to get the public’s attention focused on the homeless crises continuing to grow in Los Angeles County.

Artist Ed Massey said he plans to hand out nearly 5,000 tents covered in his brightly colored designs in order to raise awareness of the issue.

On Friday, Massey displayed the tents on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica surrounding Massey’s seven-foot-tall sculpture of a homeless man that debuted last year.

Massey hopes the tents show people what the streets would look like and encourage people to think more about the issue.

“If we as the community here in Los Angeles don’t get agitated enough and do something, we’re going to see more tents,” said Massey.

“My answer to that is, at a minimum, if the general public is going to be OK the status quo, the way things are today, then let’s make the tents prettier for the general public.”

“We don’t need these tents,” he said. “We don’t need more tents in Los Angeles. People should be having proper hygiene, they should have real housing and apartments to live in.”

If the homeless situation continues at the current rate, Massey plans to roll out his tent project next year.