Bronnie Pieper said she spent four months applying for nearly every rental property on the market within her price range, but has been rejected every single time.

"I get no explanation. They say they've found someone else, or sometimes they don't respond at all even if I reply back and ask for an explanation," Ms Pieper said.

"I think it's because I'm a casual worker, when they're looking for full-time, but there's not really much full-time jobs out there at the moment."

Ms Pieper is currently working two casual jobs with relatives but has never managed to land a full-time gig despite sending over 20 applications per month.

She has spent the last four months living in a homeless refuge while she spends her days writing resumes, cover letters, and housing applications.

On top of that she has got letters of recommendation from four separate support workers and joined a department of housing rent subsidy program, but none of that has proved enough to get her foot in the door.

She says she wants to stay in her hometown of Wagga alongside her family, but says she grows increasingly doubtful as to whether Wagga has any opportunities for a young person seeking independence.

"I'm getting to the point where I'm giving up and think I'm just not worth a house in Wagga," Ms Pieper said.

"A 21-year-old should be able to live on her own and do what she needs to do to become independent."

Argyle Housing chief executive Wendy Middleton said there had long been a housing shortage in Wagga, one made even worse by the coronavirus lockdown.

Ms Middleton said they were finding it even more difficult to find private rentals for their clients, many of whom were facing an unstable jobs market and a fiercely competitive housing market.

"If there's two people going up for a rental property and another one's got a full time job and the other's got casual work, of course the full-time worker is going to get the rental," Ms Middleton said.

"We are finding it really difficult to get private rentals in Wagga - there's a lot less coming up on the market, and that could be partly a result of COVID and people not wanting to move."

She said the cost of rent had only risen over the years, and that all the recent housing developments had done little to address the cost of living.

She said Wagga's housing shortage had only become worse over time, and that she did not see it getting better any time soon.

"Housing is a major issue: if you don't have a roof over your head, how are you going to get a job or connect to your community?" she said.

"It's a priority that, I would suggest, that we as a community all need to work on solving."