It is estimated that every day, one in every 200 Australians - or 25 times the population of Bega - do not have a safe and secure place to call home.
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As soon as we hit red tape all the momentum is gone.
- South East Youth Accommodation Service's Kylie Furnell
Labor's spokesperson on housing, homelessness and health and Keira MP, Ryan Park, visited the region on Wednesday as he meets with stakeholders and homeless residents across the state.
"I think it's the most important social issue of our time," Mr Park said.
"We have a duty to educate the community about this crisis."
In February the state government signed a global agreement to halve street homelessness over the next six years, but Mr Park said this misses the many "couch surfers" across the state.
"Meeting with homeless people has reinforced that we as policy makers need to commit, and bite the bullet, around social housing," he said.
"We have to remember that the provision of social housing is not just about a roof. You cannot access help and additional services if you don't have a home.
"Shelter is a basic need and I would like to see a joint commitment around social housing. Both sides of government know it's time to invest in social housing."
Mr Park said new developments including Airbnb have reduced the rental market at a time when demand for affordable and social housing is growing.
"As a teacher and year adviser I've seen the impact an unstable home has on kids," he said.
"I've seen how refuges really work."
During his visit Mr Park met with South East Women and Children's Services regional manager Caroline Long and South East Youth Accommodation Service's Kylie Furnell.
Ms Long said due to the sale of land, there is now less public housing in the region than a decade ago.
Ms Long and Ms Furnell said there is a need for more investment in social housing and the easing of restrictions around its construction to allow for new and bold ideas.
"As soon as we hit red tape all the momentum is gone," Ms Furnell said.
Before this year's state election Premier Gladys Berejiklian promised to tackle "social problems" and what she said were the "root causes" of homelessness.
"Homelessness is not a simple issue to solve - you cannot simply put a person who has been sleeping on the streets for years into a home and expect it to work - you need to give them the right wraparound support," social housing minister Pru Goward said in February.
"Complex mental health and substance abuse issues are often the underlying causes of homelessness which is why we are focusing on early intervention."
