Local charities are being pushed to their limits as more people come asking for help amidst a cost-of-living and rental price crisis.
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In two hours on January 22 alone, long-serving Vinnies volunteer Ian Wray said Dubbo volunteers helped 15 people who had come in looking for food relief.
"People are doing it very tough. People that are stuck in private rentals are paying exorbitant amounts and we're seeing more and more people," he said.
"They're just your average ordinary people that are just finding it tough to make ends meet.
"By the time they pay their rent and they get their kids back to school and various other expenses, they've virtually got nothing left."
In Dubbo the median weekly rental price has climbed by 6.6 per cent over the past 12 months, reaching $451 a week. The vacancy rate sits at just 0.8 per cent.
These prices are pushing more people onto the social housing waitlist, which now includes 613 households in Dubbo alone.
"Not everyone's on an executive payroll. Most of them are around the average weekly earnings and they're trying to raise a family and cover all their expenses," Mr Wray said.
"There's an awful lot of people out there now that don't own their own homes and will never own their own homes because they haven't got the ability to save money towards them.
"The government has to step up and provide funding so that affordable houses can be established."
Providers to fight for a fair share of funding
On Monday, January 15, the federal government opened the first round of tender applications under the new $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund and National Housing Accord.
"We're kickstarting the single biggest investment in social and affordable rental housing in more than a decade," federal housing minister Julie Collins said.
"These new homes are a critical part of our ambitious housing reform agenda which is working across the board - with more help for homebuyers, more help for renters and more help for Australians needing a safe place for the night."
The investment is expected to fund 40,000 social and affordable rental homes.
However, with 56,000 households on the NSW social housing waiting list alone, it's just a drop in the ocean of what's needed, Mr Wray said.
"There is not a community that doesn't desperately need more affordable housing," he said.
"I know there's a problem in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle - but we have a problem out here too. And living out here is harder than living in the city and people don't receive the huge wages that some people make in the city.
"I think it's very important that the government looks at places like Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst and further out in small towns and provide affordable housing in those areas to stop those communities dying and people moving out of communities."
Lyndall Robertshaw, CEO of not-for-profit community housing provider Home in Place, said she will be pushing to make sure that Dubbo isn't left behind.
"A safe and secure roof over your head is a fundamental human right... without it you can't be productive, properly care for kids and others, or contribute to your community," she said.
"Dubbo's waiting list for social housing isn't as great as some of the city areas... but the population is much lower as well - so when you look at it on a per-person basis, Dubbo still has a great need."
Ms Robertshaw said Home in Place is eager to work with local developers who have shovel ready projects.
"What government's looking for in this first round are completed sites that are not yet occupied - could be projects that are under construction or projects that can commence construction in the next 18 months," she said.
"It's really important to partner with developers and builders that may have access to these sites so we can go through the application process, put them in and, hopefully, the more that we put in the more success we will have in regional areas."
While Mr Wray is pleased with the federal government's investment, he said he hopes quality is at the front of mind when picking projects to fund.
"People want to be normal and have pride in the house that they're moving into," he said.
"It costs not very much more to do a few things like providing landscaping and air conditioning and not plunking all the houses together in one great big estate."
