The nation's housing crisis is quickly evolving into a emergency with 40 per cent of Australians from 24 battleground seats witnessing an increase in homelessness in their communities during the past year, Redbridge polling found.
As a key contributor to the cost of living, housing was expected to be one of the most pressing matters at the federal election.
But this heightened awareness has turned the issue into a mark of society's ills.
"It's very much symbolic of generational wealth inequality and indicative of a feeling of economic disparity and disempowerment," Redbridge director Simon Welsh told AAP.
"There's this broad sense that things are not going well: we're seeing Nazis in the street, we're seeing anti-Semitism, we are seeing our hospitals under pressure, we are seeing our roads deteriorate.
"In this broader sense of social and economic decline, homelessness becomes another data point."
Policies that would prevent Australians from sleeping rough are popular across the political spectrum.
Almost nine in 10 respondents supported increasing investment in frontline services for those fleeing domestic violence, and children who are unable to safely return to their families. Eight in 10 back funding for organisations that help homeless people stay housed.
"The cost-of-living crisis is so deep and people's rents are taking up so much of their incomes that people feel very close to homelessness," Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin told AAP.
"Seeing people who are homeless probably reminds them of that vulnerability."
Yet more than 120,000 Australians were not getting the support they need when they encounter homelessness, the organisation's analysis has found.
Politicians have instead focused on housing affordability for those with a home loan after the Reserve Bank cut interest rates on Tuesday.
But affordability remains a priority issue for most Australians, regardless of their living situation.
About 90 per cent of renters, 73 per cent of mortgage holders and 61 per cent of people who owned their houses outright said housing affordability was at least somewhat important to their vote.
The latter group, in particular, harboured concerns for their children and grandkids.
Only 11 per cent of Redbridge survey respondents gave the federal government a good rating on their housing affordability performance while more than half rated them negatively.
Voters believed politicians were "compromised", according to Mr Welsh.
"They're multiple property owners who own rental homes," he said.
"It does seem to be this disconnect that is preventing reform."
Many also became sceptical when governments were too focused on housing targets rather than reform.
The government has committed to build thousands more in social housing, increased Commonwealth Rent Assistance and aims to construct 1.2 million new homes by 2029.
Ms Colvin welcomed more of these investments and urged both major parties to commit to change.
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