"Steve" (not his real name), a spokesperson from the Walgett Homelessness and Housing Support (WHHS) program was up front about his experiences working with the homeless.

"It's enough to break your heart," he told the Western Plains App.

Steve says the homelessness situation across the Western Plains was huge and there is a real lack of facilities to cope.

Recently Walgett was named as the LGA with the highest rate of homelessness is the state (285 people per 10,000).

"I have only been in my position in Walgett for a relatively short time but the increase in homeless people is clear. A couple of years ago it meant something to be on the priority list for housing," Steve said. "It meant you would get housing quicker. These days everyone is on the priority list and there just isn't enough housing to go around."

WHHS in Walgett have facilities to help people aged 16 and over, and children with an adult, to exit or prevent homelessness. Their outreach service delivers early intervention and prevention services where tenancies are at risk or inappropriate such as overcrowded housing. 

WHHS also provide supported crisis and transitional accommodation is available to help people transition into stable housing, including supporting Safe Houses Walgett.

Currently the WHHS program runs Barwon Cottage which has five rooms used as safe houses exclusively for women. The men's facility, Namoi House has been demolished to make way for five self-contained family units but Steve says they have taken too long to come to fruition.

"They were supposed to be finished last September, now it's this September, but I can't see it happening," he said. "At the moment the NSW Department of Communities and Justice have organised two local motels to be temporary housing and have also found a motel in Lightning Ridge to do the same. The homelessness issues isn't just at Walgett, it's across the whole area."

Steve said they used local rentals for housing whenever possible, but they were practically non-existent.

"And when we do have a free rental, there are issues finding contractors for maintenance before its available This takes time which people don’t have."

More social housing needed

Homelessness NSW is calling on the government to set a target of lifting the proportion of social homes to 10 per cent.

“The number of people experiencing homelessness is already far too high and the rising cost of living and impacts from a lack of affordable rentals is increasing those at risk and experiencing homelessness,” Trina Jones, Homelessness NSW CEO said.

Steve told Western Plains App that he was concerned that places like Coonamble had no available safe housing or similar. At Walgett he said things were tough enough

"We've never had to turn anyone away, we always work out something," Steve said. "We have to think outside the box sometimes but it's hard. Like a lot of towns, we are still catching up with the need."

Steve said he was aware of a lot of "couch surfing" among locals but overcrowding often caused issues.

Ms Jones said the drivers of homelessness are complex but the solutions are not.

"We can solve these problems by properly funding homelessness services and urgently building more social housing.  This will not only transform lives but also stop rents soaring and take pressure off our hospitals, police and other community services.”

Surprisingly, four nearby shires in the western plains fall in the ten LGAs with the lowest rates of homelessness in NSW. These include Warren, Bourke, Cobar and Bogan.