Shannon Fraser made headlines when she stumbled out of a bush in Queensland after being missing for 17 days.
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Her disappearance sparked a huge search in which emergency crews spent 800 hours scouring the area.
"The farmer I came across called the police, and they told him it was a hoax because it could not possibly be me," Ms Fraser said.
"I had lost so much weight. I was horribly sunburnt and I had cuts and bruises. I was barely recognisable.
"I survived because I knew I needed to get back to my children."
Six years on and Ms Fraser has blocked most of the experience out, adding that she still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Now she faces a battle of a different kind - accessing housing to put a roof over her family's head.
Ms Fraser said all she wants is a stable home for herself and her three children in Wagga Wagga in NSW's Riverina.
"I see so many vacant houses," she said. "They are a mess, but I would clean it up myself. I would put all the work in to make it a clean, safe home."
Ms Fraser said she is grateful for the support she has been shown, but it's hard waiting as it makes her feel like she doesn't have control over it.
She added that at the moment the Department of Communities and Justice has housed her in a caravan park.
"Sometimes it can feel like the paperwork is just going in circles and nothing is ever getting done," Ms Fraser said.
"Two of my children are not living with me, so I am looking forward to the day when I can have them and my youngest all with me under one roof."
The latest data from Department of Communities and Justice reveals that on the NSW social housing register there are 51,395 applicants across the state.
In Wagga, 409 applicants are in housing limbo, each facing an estimated wait of two to five years.
NSW Land and Housing Corporation currently has a number of projects in the pipeline in Wagga, including construction of a 10 unit complex in South Parade, due for completion by mid-2021, and construction of another four unit complex at Spring Street due to commence in early 2021.
IN OTHER NEWS:
There are currently 36 vacant properties in the Wagga LGA as at 22 December 2020 - a number of these properties are in the process of being renovated and re-let.
A Department of Communities and Justice spokesperson the NSW Government is working hard to provide housing assistance to those unable to rent in the private market.
"Social housing applicants assessed as being in need of urgent housing are given priority, including people who are homeless, escaping domestic violence or with severe and ongoing medical conditions."
Anyone who is at risk of homelessness can contact Link2home on 1800 152 152.
Staff can provide information and referrals to homelessness services through Link2home 24 hours a day, every day of the year.