"They're very vulnerable," Byamee Homeless Support operations manager Jo Williams said.

"If they haven't got access to health care, they're more likely to get sicker if they do catch anything. They also haven't got anywhere to isolate if they do get sick; usually it's just under the stars.

"And they haven't got cleaning facilities, so nowhere to wash their hands except in the river.

"Homeless people are a very vulnerable cohort."

This week is National Homelessness Week and usually Byamee would be hosting a range of events to raise funds and awareness of the number of people sleeping rough in Moree as part of its annual Hike for the Homeless campaign.

Unfortunately, this year they are unable to run any events due to COVID-19, but Ms Williams said the goal of reducing the number of people sleeping rough both locally and across the state is more important than ever.

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"We've been told that because of COVID, we have to make sure absolutely nobody is sleeping rough," she said.

"The NSW Premier decided that by 2025 we're going to halve the number of rough sleepers. That was going to happen slowly, but because of COVID, two years of prep work has been thrown into six months.

"So we're focusing hugely on getting everyone off the riverbeds and into homes."

The theme of this year's National Homeless Week is 'Everybody needs a home'.

Already this year, Byamee, with the help of Homes North, has put 12 rough sleepers into homes, however Ms Williams said there's still a few people that she's aware of who are sleeping along the river in Moree.

"As we speak, there's probably about two to three people [sleeping on the river]," she said.

"We are in an absolute bid to keep them safe."

Byamee has been busy providing support to those people who have been placed into homes, as Ms Williams said that is often when they need the most assistance.

"We find that rough sleepers, while they're sleeping on the riverbank, their thoughts for the day are about when they're going to get their next bit of food, or where they'll be sleeping that night and where they're going to wash," she explained.

"Once they're in a property and have somewhere to sleep and are provided with food, those aren't thought processes that they have anymore. So often anything from the past will come up and now they've got rent responsibilities and neighbour responsibilities ... being put in a home is a really stressful time, so they need a lot of support."

Homes North has been providing the properties, while Byamee is working to provide people with a range of assistance, from furniture and living essentials to mental health and rent support.

While the government has been supportive in providing funds to help get people in homes, Ms Williams said they also rely on community support and would welcome any donations to help set people up in houses, particularly blankets at this time of the year.

"We might be able to provide a bed, but then we need sheets and blankets and pillows," she said.

A majority of the people sleeping rough in Moree have either mental health problems, domestic violence issues, some form of a disability or have just come out of jail, Ms Williams said.

Financial stress is also a factor in homelessness, with Byamee able to support anyone at-risk of being homeless.

Ms Williams expects there would be an increase in the number of people who are struggling to pay their rent as a result of job losses due to COVID-19, however only a few have sought help from Byamee.

She encourages anyone who has lost their job as a result of COVID-19 to contact the Byamee team, who can help find them funding to pay their power and water bills, rent and rent arrears.

"There is help out there," she said.

"There should be no reason people actually stop paying their rent because there is help. They've got to swallow their pride enough to ask for help."

A heat map released for National Homelessness Week shows that regional towns are among the areas of NSW with the highest social housing need and homelessness - even before job losses as a result of COVID-19 and the drought.

Almost one-third of the state's homeless live outside Sydney, according to the data released by Everybody's Home.

"People often think homelessness is an issue mainly in cities and CBDs, but the maps show that to be a myth," Homelessness Australia chair Jenny Smith said.

"The lack of housing that people can afford is not only the biggest cause of homelessness, but it also prevents people escaping from homelessness."

The Parkes electorate, which includes Moree, is ranked 15^th in regional NSW for homeless rates.

There are at least 700 homeless people in the electorate, with a need for 2900 social houses.

As part of National Homelessness Week, Homelessness Australia and Everybody's Home have called on federal MP's to sign a social housing pledge to invest in their communities.

A Social Housing Acceleration and Renovation Program details how building 30,000 homes in the next four years would create 18,000 jobs each year and combat homelessness.

Meanwhile, Byamee plans to make next year's Hike for the Homeless events bigger and better than ever.