EACH night, 84 people in the Southern Highlands are without a home.
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According to 2011 ABS statistics, more than 100,000 Australians are homeless each night.
Mission Australia regional leader for southern NSW programs Cheryl O'Donnell said the number of people who are forced into a homeless situation is increasing.
"The economic strain on some of these families, the rental stress, price of properties beyond peoples means, cause these situations," she said.
"The rising costs of electricity, gas, food prices are also a factor."
The largest providers of homelessness services across Australian have joined forces, and have called on political leaders to make reducing homelessness a national priority.
Ms O'Donnell said services were stretched to the limit, with over 450,000 low income homes in rental stress and 44,000 young people and children who are homeless.
"Homelessness does not pick and choose," she said.
"We've had CEOs, business owners - something happens outside of their control and they're suddenly homeless."
She said while domestic violence was one of the main issues of homelessness for women and children, grandparents were also increasingly faced with financial and housing stress.
"There are grandparents who are raising their grandkids due to certain circumstances, and they don't receive extra financial support," she said.
"They may only have their pension, the financial strain on these people is phenomenal."
A petition has been launched to generate public support for the campaign during the Federal Election.
"All sides of government need to give some commitment to reduce homelessness," Ms O'Donnell said.
"We want to invite anyone from government to work with us and see the pressures on these families and organisations.
"And not just the niceties - they need to travel out and see what we deal with on a daily basis.
"We've always been known as the 'lucky country' - we need to prove it is."
The charities have called for political parties to create a target to halve homelessness by 2025.
View and sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/homelessness-has-no-place-in-australia-i-votehome
Read the letter that the major charities sent to party leaders: https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/publications/position-statements/homelessness/doc_download/496-vote-home-having-homelessness-by-2025
