The death of a well-known and beloved woman in Byron Bay has highlighted the plight of the region's homeless population.
Fiona, who was best known by her first name, was believed to be around 55.
Fiona had been homeless for at least a decade, mostly sleeping rough, according to a service provider.
Her friend Rho, who had also been homeless for the last several years, said it was a devastating loss.
She died before her time. She said it was very abrupt and abrupt.
Fiona had been sleeping in a tent in the Byron Bay area and regularly spoke to local community services and community members.
Her death was discovered some days later, after her dog Tori was seen sitting outside her tent.
Tori has been rehomed.
Fiona was remembered as a loud, opinionated but caring woman.
Rho, who did not want to give her last name, said Fiona was the latest victim of a growing homelessness problem.
She said there were a lot of people sleeping rough out there that are elderly people, people with disabilities.
People are forced out of their homes because of the housing crisis. Rho is currently in temporary accommodation, but said sleeping rough was a terrifying and stressful experience.
She said it's basically living day to day without knowing if I'm going to survive the next day, sleeping in a bush and feeling completely vulnerable.
Fiona knew Fiona, as the president of Liberation Larder, which provides food to homeless people in Byron Bay.
Ms Jackson said Fiona's death reflected the difficulties facing the homeless.
The NSW Northern Rivers have been rising for years, and Byron Bay is one of Australia's most expensive property markets.
The housing crisis worsened after floods inundated thousands of homes and left many unhabitable earlier this year.
Rents on the North Coast increased by 10.5 per cent each year for the last three years, according to the data released by the Everybody's Home campaign this week.
More than two-thirds of people were experiencing rental stress in the Page electorate, which covers nearby Lismore, Casino and Grafton.
Social Futures called for more social and affordable housing and said 18,600 new homes were needed in the Northern Rivers.
Tony Davies, the chief executive, said that the waiting list put already vulnerable people at risk.
He said these are elderly people, parents with children who are escaping domestic violence and the like.
Ms Jackson said that people who had lived in the area for many years or even their whole lives were often affected by homelessness in Byron Bay.
She said these people don't want to leave town.
This is where they've grown up, this is where they're based. Ms Jackson and Ms Rho both highlighted the need for more social and affordable housing.
The country's taxpayers' responsibility is to make sure people have somewhere to live, Ms Jackson said.
An adequate housing solution looks like people have more social housing than they need, according to Rho.
As soon as somebody reports that they're homeless, I want them to be allocated somewhere that is secure and adequate for their needs.