Data from national affordable housing campaign group Everybody's Home revealed Wagga has a low vacancy rate of 0.44 per cent with an annual rental increase of 16.5 per cent.

Stacey Chapman, 31, and her three young children, Olivia, nine, Ava, six, and Jaxton, three, have been without a home since April after they were forced to flee due to safety concerns.

Miss Chapman and her children stayed at a motel for a few days while she looked at houses up for rent, but with an income of $800 and a room cost of $150 a night, it was impossible.

Unable to flee home to her family in the United Kingdom, Miss Chapman was forced to look to friends for help.

"I ended up moving in with my friend temporarily as I had no other options. I'm working with Sister Housing and I was put on a rent start safely program which is a program to help domestic violence clients obtain long-term accommodation with the help of government," she said.

Miss Chapman said she has looked at 140 houses locally, 67 of which she applied for but was declined, and on average, is viewing about five rentals a day.

"When I ring to find out why [they declined] I just get told either I don't receive enough income or I wasn't the lucky ones," Miss Chapman said.

Miss Chapman said she is ringing housing and local real estate agencies daily but gets told to look online.

"I'm currently searching through houses via realestate.com, Tenant App, Domain and Rent.com and then on local real estate's actual website pages," she said.

"I've almost given up several times but I've pushed through for my kids' sake.

Now after being placed on the priority housing list, it's a waiting game for the young family.

"I have two kids with medical needs. I couldn't buy their medicines just so we had a motel," she said.

Before now, Miss Chapman had never been in a situation where she didn't have a home to go to, but the housing issue taking over the city isn't new to her.

"I know many people who have been through this," she said.

"My friend, who I'm currently living with, was struggling to get a house for two years, it definitely isn't a new situation."

And it's not a journey she would wish upon anyone.

"The kids don't have their own space, they don't have half their toys as it's in storage and most of their belongings are in storage," she said.

"It has taken a massive mental health toll on me. Some days I feel like I've failed as a mother, some days I feel so alone and no one is supporting me."

Miss Chapman said she has received amazing help from her Brighter Futures worker, but said she feels as though housing could be doing more.

"There are so many empty houses I see boarded up but yet there are so many families in my situation," she said.

Another Wagga renter, who asked to remain anonymous, said the price of rentals is broadening the pool of people who are struggling.

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She claims her landlord recently increased her rent by $25 a week without explanation.

"I'm flat out keeping myself afloat paying $450 a week and now they want $475 a week," she said.

"That's a massive increase and it's financially stressful."

The renter said she moved to Wagga 12 months ago for work and to be closer to her mother.

Despite being able to afford the increase, she said it didn't leave her much room to spend on other things.

"It's not like I can go on a holiday or treat myself because I'm too busy spending most of my income on rent and paying someone else's mortgage," she said.

The woman said she tried to negotiate with the property manager on committing to a further two-year tenancy and gradually increasing the rent over the same period, but they wouldn't budge.

According to Everybody's Home spokesperson Kate Colvin landlords were capitalising on low vacancy and high interest rates by shifting the cost to their tenants.

However, CEO of the NSW Tenant's Union Leo Patterson Ross argued higher rental prices in regional areas was due to an increase in the number of people moving to the country after the pandemic as well as an increase in holiday letting, which both impacted housing supply.

"Rent prices go up because a landlord thinks they can raise it or someone will pay it," Mr Ross said.

"Interest rate rises and other costs don't impact rent rises because we don't have a rent setting system that relies on costs to the landlord."

Mr Ross said regional Australia was suffering from a lack of affordable housing which resulted in higher costs and greater anxiety and desperation for renters to find a home.

"The amount people are willing to pay is inflated above fair market value because it's based on the anxiety and desperation for homes," he explained.

"Our basic problem in Australia is we haven't recognised housing as an essential service in the same way we recognise energy and water. We're living with the consequences of that now.

While she always wanted to buy a house, Ms Ward said the reality of home ownership was becoming more distant.

"It's getting so much harder for people my age to buy a house," she said.

"It's a dream that's becoming more unrealistic because I can't save when I'm paying half of my income on rent."

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