They are calling for new measures to be outlined by both parties that will tackle the changing face of homelessness.
Around 100,000 people are without stable accommodation across Australia.
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Mission Australia CEO Toby Hall says middle aged homeless men are easily spotted but other vulnerable groups - families and the elderly - are not so visible.
“The fact is we have children in cars on our streets, children in tents, we've even picked children up under bridges with their mum and dad who have no home and that's unacceptable and we need a clear policy to say we're going to deal with this,” Mr Hall told SBS.
With the federal election less than three weeks away stakeholders are still waiting to see what type of social inclusion policies will be on the table.
“Every night 400 people sleep on the streets of Sydney alone, Mr Hall said.
“Advocacy groups hope that number will start to decrease in the coming years but they say that can't happen unless the major parties commit now to improving social housing, unemployment and frontline services”.
The Gillard government says it's dedicated to halving the national homeless figure by 2020 - a plan outlined in 2008 by the former prime minister Kevin Rudd.
Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek says the government is building 80,000 homes.
“That's going to be very important to reducing homelessness," she said.
"We're also investing in 41 new specialist services with 4,100 new homes right around the country,” she said.
But recent figures released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show 62 per cent of people were unable to secure crisis accommodation on any given night in the 2008-2009 financial year.
Opposition Housing spokesman Gary Humphries says for a country which has declared a war on homelessness and that wants to halve it by 2020, Australia appears to be heading in precisely the opposite direction.
“Clearly better focused strategies need to be developed to address the real issues why people are homeless rather than create more beds in selected areas,” he said.
He has allayed concerns the Coalition will cut social welfare funding saying a long term solution will be rolled out in due time.
But advocacy groups say the most vulnerable need reassurance now and Labor's existing strategy is not enough.
The CEO of Homelessness Australia Narelle Clay wants to know what the government and the Opposition are planning to do to reduce poverty and disadvantage.
“I certainly want to hear what the Coalition thinks we need to do about homelessness. I've heard little bits but I haven't heard their full and comprehensive policy about it,” she said.
