THIS Christmas will be anything but merry for dozens of young people in Warwick who face spending it homeless or in temporary accommodation.

It's easy to dismiss homelessness as a big city issue but the problem is widespread on the Southern Downs, particularly among 12 to 25-year-olds.

Almost 9% of the demographic are homeless or at risk of homelessness, alarming new data shows.

An increase in youth homelessness prompted the Southern Downs Regional Council to conduct an audit with community organisations, including the Salvation Army, Red Cross, St Vincent De Paul - Corner Stone, Headspace Warwick and CDS Stanthorpe.

Almost 150 of the 1717 young people surveyed said that they had no place to go and 50 of those had slept in a park or on the street, the Southern Downs Youth Housing and Homelessness Working Party audit found.

During the 12 months to February, 8.6% of young people in the region experienced homelessness and 16% said they knew of someone who had experienced it, the data showed.

The council's Michael Bell said more funding around youth housing services was required on the Southern Downs.

"Local services are doing their best to cope with the issue but there is a need to have youth-specific housing - emergency and supported - available to accommodate them in the region,” Mr Bell said.

The audit is a blueprint for community organisations to seek more funding, Mr Bell said.

"There is a commitment from the (audit) party to investigate funding opportunities and to support other community organisations to submit funding applications,” he said.

Regionally, Warwick has the highest level of homelessness and hidden homeless - where people drift from sofa to sofa, relying on friends to provide an elusive roof over their heads, according to local community groups.

Salvation Army Lieutenant Steve Spencer said it is isn't a new issue in Warwick.

The breakdown of family relationships, domestic violence and financial hardship were the key precursors to homelessness in the region, Lieutenant Spencer said.

"I think we are noticing homelessness and couch surfing more as the region's population grows, new people are coming in to the area looking for jobs and not finding them.

"For families and individuals living hand to mouth, all it takes is for a large power bill or some other unexpected financial difficulty to put them at risk.”

He said the festive season was particularly difficult for people without permanent accommodation.

"Homelessness doesn't discriminate by the calendar and December and January are tough for the homeless when they are facing the type of heatwaves we have had during the past few weeks.

"During the day they can go to the shopping centres to seek respite but at night it's a different story.”

Lieutenant Spencer is confident the community can work together to find a way forward.

"Too often we think it's the government or council's responsibility but it's going to be a multi-generational commitment from the community to building better relationships, raising community awareness and seeking funding for more temporary housing.”

He said community services work well together in Warwick but he called on the public to pitch in.

"Get to know your neighbours and look out for people around you,” Lieutenant Spencer said.

"There are people living in parks under bridges and in their cars in the region.

"Often it helps if you can just say hello, stop and have a chat.”

Queensland has one of the highest homeless populations in the country, according to St Vincent de Paul's Cornerstone program, which helps people keep their rental accommodation.

"In Warwick, homelessness is a problem for young people but it's also seniors and families who need housing crisis help,” a Cornerstone spokeswoman said.

The Department of Education and Training was approached for comment on policies identifying school children at risk of homelessness but did not reply by time of publication.