To launch Homelessness Week 2020 (August 2-8), Homelessness Australia has released maps to show how wide-spread homelessness is and how drastically Australia needs more social housing.

Lingiari again comes in at number one, by a large margin.

Lingiari has the highest rate of homeless people (12,300) and the highest rate of unmet social housing needs (6200).

To compare the difference, coming in at number two is the inner city electorate of Watson in NSW with 1600 people identified as homeless with unmet housing needs for 5500.

Katherine remains in a housing crisis with more people homeless, per capita, than anywhere else in Australia.

Just last week, 19 of Katherine's lead organisations across medicine, business, local government and social services have joined voices in a plea for 'immediate action' on homelessness.

Over the last few years Alice Springs, Darwin and Tennant Creek have received priority for 'visitor's' centre facilities catering to people visiting town for medical, cultural or family reasons.

"The costs of homelessness, including frequent presentations at Katherine emergency department are high. It makes good economic sense to provide safe and secure visitor accommodation," a spokesman for the organisations said.

Homelessness Australia chair Jenny Smith said the heatmaps show homelessness was a problem in all Australian communities, whether they are remote, regional or metropolitan.

More reading: Candidates respond to the call for more public housing.

"People often think homelessness is an issue mainly in cities and CBDs, but the maps show that to be a myth," Ms 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."

Everybody's Home spokesperson Kate Colvin said the heatmaps show every electorate has a shortfall in social housing and called on the Federal Government to address this shortfall.

"Australia urgently needs the Morrison Government to fix the national social housing shortfall, but it can also give Australia's economy a much-needed boost in the process by creating construction jobs as stimulus," said Ms Colvin.

As part of Homelessness Week, Homelessness Australia and Everybody's Home are calling on all federal MPs to sign a social housing pledge committing to investment in social housing to help end homelessness, and also deliver urgently needed jobs.

A coalition of housing advocacy groups has developed the Social Housing Acceleration and Renovation Program (SHARP). The SHARP details how building 30,000 social homes over the next four years will create up to 18,000 jobs per year while combatting homelessness.

"The growth in unemployment as a consequence of COVID-19 and cuts to social security payments will drive further increases in homelessness. By investing in social housing, the government will not only give more people a home but will also keep more people in a job," Ms Smith said.

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