AT a household level, at least, it is hard not to see many of the problems facing the country in recent times as interconnected.
High house prices have likely forced many out of the market.
Rents are surging as well, while the cost of living soars.
For some, the loss of luxuries or even a little bit of financial breathing room hurts enough.
Many more, however, are reaching out for support simply to make ends meet.
This masthead has documented numerous rises in demand from agencies who say they are beginning to see people who have never sought out support again.
Those agencies, in turn, are pointing to the absence of government in helping people bearing the brunt of economic fortunes.
As a society we must be thankful for these groups who step in to pick up the pieces.
Their compassion combined with the generosity of donors can truly make the difference for people who are desperate and ready to ask for help.
Not everyone, however, is ready to extend that hand.
Some may blame pride while others, such as the recent case of Alwyn Craig or 'Pete', may involve complicated needs that can thwart a cookie-cutter system of seeking assistance.
Recent efforts to find Alwyn housing have progressed slowly, to say the least, but efforts continue and hope abounds.
The perseverance and commitment of those around him deserve credit.
Yet, given what we know in that single example, the data from Homelessness NSW indicating that demand for services has surged 59 per cent in eight years indicates what we are doing is failing to meet - let alone reduce - the need to help people sleeping rough.
Homelessness NSW CEO Dom Rowe says frontline Hunter services are "at breaking point" amid the surge.
"Wages and government support payments have not kept up with housing costs," she said.
"Vanishing supply and plummeting affordability has left an increasing number of people just one rent rise or eviction notice away from homelessness."
Homelessness is complex, and there are many reasons that someone may find themselves facing the predicament.
But when, as Ms Rowe says, having a job or living regionally is "no longer enough to protect people against homelessness", we must consider there is a mental toll to such a precarious situation that will not immediately appear on the spreadsheet of demand.
The bill, however, will eventually come due.
Easing inflation pressures, which economists predict will ameliorate the problems this year, are no panacea.
Prices are unlikely to revert to past levels with immediacy, and businesses that have outlasted a pandemic and struggled through difficult trading conditions cannot endure lean times forever.
Support agencies are gradually becoming a chorus for greater government help in a sector that deals directly with people feeling the need for specialist services.
To put it plainly, in this region alone Homelessness NSW data would peg that at 5676 people in the year to June 30 last year.
What exactly would offer hope that number will be trending downwards come July this year? Tax cuts and other politically beneficial steps will not do the job alone.
A major step would be increasing the supply of social housing, where median waits are measured in years - or months, for priority applicants - but those waiting count the days.
When crises abound in homelessness support, cost of living, house prices and rent, surely a greater network of social housing is warranted.
The problems seem largely interconnected, and so the solutions must be as well. The clock is ticking.
