I live in Oura and have a wonderful drive to town following the rolling hills past the Wagga winery vineyard and past the green pastures over the rise.

But just past Eunonyhareenyha winery the whole scenery changes to the glaring hills that once were green and are now just an eyesore of the solar farms that will be there for the rest of my life.

Fight long and hard as once there is one there will be a long list of other foreign-owned companies lining up to add to the eyesore.

Homelessness Week is taking place from August 1 to 7 this year and across the country, in towns and cities, individuals and families will sleep in garages, cars or on a mattress on the floor with their friends or family - some for the first time due to the destructive floods in NSW.

Everyone has the right to a safe place to call home.

But skyrocketing rents put safe and stable accommodation out of reach for more and more people.

Regional rents are now 18 per cent higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, while rents in capital cities have increased 14.7 per cent over the past 12 months.

This is changing the face of homelessness.

Many people who are in work, and have a history of secure housing, now find themselves struggling to pay rent or find affordable rentals.

At Mission Australia we welcome the federal government's focus on housing and homelessness.

Their commitment to invest in 30,000 new social and affordable homes will bring relief to many in need - but with 150,000 households on the social housing waiting list, much more is needed.

The government has also committed to developing a national plan to end homelessness.

This plan must touch on all policy areas that impact housing and homelessness and be resourced to deliver meaningful action.

People with lived experience of homelessness need to be part of it.

This is a real opportunity to shape a future where all of us have a safe home and can thrive. We can't waste it.

READ MORE LETTERS:

The ACT government's proposal to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 would have the same effect as a regressive tax.

The uptake of EVs in Australia is currently low, accounting for about 2 per cent of new car sales in 2021.

It is mostly people on higher incomes who buy EVs.

The high prices disadvantage people on lower incomes.

A subsidy to reduce EV prices would primarily benefit middle-income earners.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you have something to get off your chest? Simply click here to send a letter to the editor.