Demand for priority social housing in Wagga Wagga has increased by 500 per cent over the four years to June 2025, according to a new report by Homelessness NSW. The findings come just one week after the death of a newborn baby at a riverside tent camp along the Murrumbidgee River, drawing renewed attention to the city's escalating homelessness crisis. Homelessness NSW chief executive Dom Rowe said the dramatic rise in demand for housing support coincides with a 48 per cent increase in apartment rents across New South Wales, making it increasingly difficult for vulnerable residents to secure stable accommodation. In response, the New South Wales Government has established a cross-agency working group to urgently address homelessness in Wagga Wagga. NSW Minister for Homelessness Rose Jackson is expected to visit the city in the coming weeks. The report also highlights significant increases in social housing waitlists across the state, including Camden, Bankstown, Griffith and Tamworth, underscoring the growing housing affordability crisis in both metropolitan and regional communities.