Grampians Community Health chief executive Greg Little said the disparity between Youth Allowance or Newstart allowance and the average cost of housing was huge.

He said a person receiving Youth Allowance, under 18 years of age and living at home earns $249.20 fortnightly while a person living out of home earns $455.20.

"A single adult on Newstart with no children earns $489.70 fortnightly while a single person with dependent children earns $529.80 fortnightly," he said.

"On average, rentals are costing $265 per week in Stawell, $280 per week in Ararat and $275 per week in Horsham."

Community service organisation Uniting sees the impact of this crisis every day through their housing, homelessness and emergency relief services.

Uniting Wimmera executive officer Josh Koenig said more people were having to turn to organisations such as Uniting each year - so they can access basics such as feeding their children and heating their homes.

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"In Victoria, only 3.5 per cent of the current housing stock is public housing," he said.

"To keep up with current population growth, Victoria must build 1800 dwellings per year to maintain its stock at that level - far below the 20 to 30 per cent recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

"In the last year Uniting's Wimmera services saw 1134 people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness come to them seeking support."

Mr Koenig said the organisation had provided 495 nights of emergency accommodation to 154 Wimmera people in crisis due to homelessness across the past year.

"Homelessness comes in all shapes and forms but in our community, the issue is hidden because it is not in plain sight. You don't often see people sleeping rough," Mr Koenig said.

"The most common forms of homelessness in the Wimmera are couchsurfing, living with a relative fee-free or boarding. People can be living in unsafe environments where there is a risk of violence because they feel they have no other option."

Uniting's program leader for homelessness, Belinda Gilpin, said there was assistance with housing available for people in need.

"There are a lot of different options and locations right across the region," she said.

"Wait times can vary, though. There is a priority waiting list and it's all dependant on a number of considerations.

"We can offer crisis accommodation for two weeks, then people can go onto transitional (housing), which is a 13 week-long solution.

"Our crisis accommodation is limited - in that there are only a limited number of housing solutions available."

Grampians Community Health said the following story was not unusual:

"I am 17 and used to live with my mum and her boyfriend but I had to leave. Mum's boyfriend used to hit me when mum wasn't around and that was a lot because she worked at a pub and was often working over 40 hours a week. He used to scream at me and make me clean-up after him and his friends. I didn't like his friends, some of them would stare at me all the time and it scared me.

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"I knew mum wouldn't believe me if I told her so one day when she was at work and her boyfriend was asleep I took the backpack I had packed under my bed and ran away.

"I had no place I could go, and I couldn't return home, I would get into more trouble. I stayed the first few nights at some friend's houses but I didn't want their parents to know I was around in case my mum was looking for me. I couldn't go back there.

"I stopped going to school, just in case my mum turned up or called the school and the teachers told her I was there.

"I went to Centrelink to talk to them about getting some money as I knew that my friends wouldn't be able to help me for long.

"It was really hard because I had to prove that I was not a dependent. This took a really long time and I thought for a while that it was never going to happen.

"Finally, I started receiving payments but keeping them was so hard. It is really hard to look for a job when you have nowhere to live or shower.

"I decided that I would look for a house but the real estates would ask how much I was getting paid and they wouldn't even put my applications in. When I asked why I haven't been accepted, they said that I wouldn't be able to afford the rent."

St Vincent De Paul Society Stawell conference secretary Mary-Rita Thomas said there were many levels of service and assistance within the region to support those in need.

"St Vincent De Paul offers a unique service and acts like advocates," she said.

"We can help people in different circumstances find solutions to assist with living situations.

"I dealt with a family six months ago who was in need of accommodation. They were desperate."

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Mrs Thomas said she was made aware of the family's situation on a Friday morning.

"I jumped on the phone and eventually got through to a emergency housing worker," she said.

"Together we managed to managed to come up with solution where Stawell's Interchurch Council were able to put the family up for a night and St Vincent De Paul for the other nights until suitable accommodation was found."

Mrs Thomas said, as an advocate, there were steps to take to prevent and educate people about homelessness.

"People have to trust you before they reveal the true level of hardship or help they require," she said.

"Issues we are seeing now are elderly women who might own their properties and might be single for a number of different reasons.

"They are generally older (and) superannuation has passed them by. They have worked and managed their entire life and done a mixture of home duties and work outside of the home.

"These women who might have grown-up children. They don't want to talk to them because they think they have their own issues with their own children.

"They still have to pay their rates, they still have to pay their water. From outside the perceptions can be that they are looking after their house and their gardens. It's a different story once you step inside."

Mrs Thomas said it doesn't take much for people to find themselves in financial difficulty.

"We used to say it took six poor decisions and people could be homeless," she said.

"I think now it's three poor decisions in the face of whatever is happening - and that's not many.

"If people become homeless, I don't know where they will go."

During the warmer months of the year, Mrs Thomas said she had assisted people from the area who have lived in cars and caravans around lakes.

RELATED: When Victorian Young Achiever of the Year was 21 years old, he was homeless for three months and lived in his car.

"They have had to do that. They felt they had no other choice," she said.

"We try and help where we can. Stawell's Interchurch Council offer what we call a Bandaid - yes, you and your children are going to eat food tonight, they have nappies, they have blankets, they have pillows.

"St Vincent's is about trying to work out what else we can do. We then say how can we advocate for you to get you to a housing worker.

"There can be physiological and mental health issues. People can be divided from their families for many different reasons.

"Some people are just too ashamed to come and ask for help and that is a terrible thing."

Stawell Interchurch Council president Jo Bertram said the welfare group would help on average about 20 people a week.

"We are only open three days a week," she said. "Days vary from one day to the next. We either are helping them with food or directing them on to other services in the area."

Homelessness Australia coordinates an annual week each year to raise awareness for people experiencing homelessness.

Between August 5 and 10, issues surrounding the action needed to achieve solutions are brought to light.

The theme for the 2019 campaign is 'Housing Ends Homelessness' - a fitting motto with the rental crisis within the region in the spotlight.

Mr Little asks residents to consider some of the underlying causes of why young people find themselves homeless.

"We are hosting a breakfast on Friday, August 9 at 8am at Grampians Community Health in Stawell," he said.

"We are aiming to help bring awareness of homelessness to the community and if you would like to join us, please call 03 5358 7400 to RSVP."

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