Anglicare emergency relief coordinator Tracey Hancock said it was "heart-wrenching" to see more people seeking help at the Ashmont Community Resource Centre since the JobSeeker unemployment payments had been reduced from a temporary double amount during the pandemic.

"There are five people that come into the centre that I'm aware of that are actually squatting in abandoned government housing and I wonder, why can't they be fixed? I know it does cost money but it would be better to put people and families in the them," she said.

"A lot of people are couch-surfing and living in backyards in somebody's house in a tent; I have a few of those who have approached me just this week."

Mrs Hancock said those kinds of living conditions made it much harder to find work.

The not-for-profit's annual Rental Affordability Snapshot also found Wagga's rental market was squeezing out people on minimum wages, with working couples and singles seeing housing options plummet over the past three years.

Anglicare's definition of an affordable property is one that costs 30 per cent or less of a household's income for rent.

Mrs Hancock said many people on JobSeeker were spending much more than 30 per cent on rent and getting behind on their utility bills or other costs of living.

Housing affordability is influenced not only by real estate market trends but also policies and regulations at the council, state and federal government level.

A NSW Land and Housing Corporation spokesperson said the agency had delivered 106 new social housing dwellings in the electorate over the past nine years and was building a total of 14 social houing units in two new blocks in Wagga.

"Plans to revitalise the Tolland Estate are also well underway, with the final number and mix of social, affordable and private homes delivered to be determined during the design phase," the spokesperson said.

A Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) spokesperson said the department "provides social housing to eligible applicants as quickly as possible, prioritising those most in need, including people who are homelessness, escaping domestic violence or with severe and ongoing medical conditions".

"DCJ has a range of housing assistance products including help for people to rent in the private market," the spokesperson said.

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