Salt Ministries CEO Peter Dover said many of the Shoalhaven's homeless have been left without an option in the severe weather, as they have already used up their temporary accommodation allowance.

Clients who apply through NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), community housing providers and specialist homelessness providers are given 28 days of temporary accommodation per year.

"People are staying in tents in South Nowra with flooding all around them with no alternate accommodation, and housing can't give them any because they've used up their 28 days," said Mr Dover.

"In the pandemic, they (DCJ) extended those days to keep people safe, but they didn't in this weather.

"It means people are staying in tents, in caves and in accommodation that isn't adequate."

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Salt staff members are in regular contact with those who seek refuge "out in the bush" and in caves to check on their wellbeing and bring them food.

But Mr Dover said floodwaters across the Shoalhaven have made it impossible to access locals sleeping rough over the past week.

"We haven't been able to go out and check on certain people that are staying out in the bush a... just because of the weather," he said.

"Today is the first day we've gone out since the rain and we found a couple of people, but it's been difficult. Not many people have been able to stay safe out in this weather."

Mr Dover said the recent flash flooding has left more people in the Shoalhaven homeless.

"We've got people down in St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet that have become homeless now, and they're just adding to the homeless list," he said.

"We need to work out how we can have some emergency accommodation that's available."

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Salt Care is inundated, with their homeless shelter and 25 rentals full. More than 20 housing applications are made for clients per week.

Mr Dover said they are working to expand shelters, but more accommodation options are needed to meet the demand.

"We're working on a property we've got ... that's got five bedrooms, five bathrooms. And we've got a development application approved out the back to have two bedroom self contained units," he said.

"At our shelter we've got plans to put a two bedroom unit above the garage. But we just need other accommodation that's available for emergency use, because there's just nothing available."

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