Currently in the city there is one crisis refuge suitable for people aged between 16 and 24. It has six beds and is "100 per cent at capacity every single night", said Mission Australia Wagga manager Heather Manning.

"Homelessness is the biggest concern [in Wagga], and there's only three [youth] refuges in the region - in Albury, Wagga and Griffith," Ms Manning said.

"Early intervention is the key, we need to respond before youths end up homeless, and wherever possible we aim for family restoration. But that is not always possible."

At the time of the last Census in 2016, Wagga recorded up to 33 people aged between 12 and 24 who were living rough within its borders.

Ms Manning explained that the high registry is compounded by existing problems in many family units.

"There are so many pressures facing young people and that's only going to continue until we have the services in place.

"Families are under more pressure just getting by and the drought is having a big effect, even indirectly, in the cost of living rising and employment dropping."

The demand for crisis accommodation has forced the city to look to private rentals to meet the need.

For the past 18 months, it has implementation of an early intervention strategy known as 'Rent Choice Youth'.

The uptake has been so quick, there are currently 20 young people on Mission Australia's list for services.

"Prior to that, there was no affordable rental accommodation for people in that situation," Ms Manning said.

Despite the citywide problem, the release of the annual Mission Australia Youth Survey this morning found that mental health and the environment are the primary concerns of people aged 15 to 19 in NSW.

Mental health has retained its position as first for three years. This year in the NSW survey, four-in-10 respondents, or 38.8 per cent, indicated that the issue was the most important in Australia.

However, concerns for the environment has nearly quadrupled in the past year.

The environment soared from registering just 9.6 per cent of overall concern in 2018 - what was then eighth place - to 36.0 per cent of the primary concern in the state.

Ms Manning said that the growth in this concern was made evident on a local level recently when the city's young people mobilised in support of climate action.

"It's not surprising. [The environment] is a topic that everyone is talking about, and partly that's to do with media coverage, but then it's also being taught at their schools," Ms Manning said.

"There is a whole lot more focus on it, and it's coming from young people like Greta [Thunberg] which is driving the focus. Young people are more likely to listen to other young people."