The 2023-24 NT Budget delivers "some positives" for the community and social sector, but is overall "underwhelming and a missed opportunity to help the Territory's most vulnerable", the Northern Territory Council of Social Service said on Tuesday.

NTCOSS said a budget is a values statement that should "prioritise people and put community at the centre".

"There should be more investment in combatting family violence, improving school engagement and more," said NTCOSS chief executive Stephanie Kelly.

"We welcome the recognition of the impact on emergency frontline services through funding to support their wellbeing; we would like that support expanded to frontline social services workers.

"The cap in electricity price rises at 2.7% is welcome additional support for householder energy bills.

"But it is a missed opportunity to expand the Northern Territory Concession Scheme to include people on JobSeeker and other people with a Commonwealth Health Care Card holders."

NTCOSS said the Territory, like the rest of the country, is facing a cost of living crisis, with the highest inflation in decades causing "significant financial stress" to people on low incomes and those who are unwaged.

The organisation said on Tuesday it has not been able to identify "any meaningful increase" in funding to social services such as financial counselling; housing support; and women's safe houses, nor a greater investment in "preventative and strengths-based" programs for young people.

NTCOSS said the NT government's Budget forward estimates forecasting a return to surplus and the Federal Budget returning to surplus had presented a "perfect opportunity to increase investment in social services and put people at the centre of the Budget".

The social sector peak body for the Territory said it was "cautiously optimistic" about the $38.8 million to implement the Aboriginal Justice Agreement.

Women's Safety Services of Central Australia chief executive Larissa Ellis welcomed new funding for the Territory's key program for reducing domestic violence and sexual violence but identified short-comings in the budget.

"We are cautiously optimistic about the $20 million in funding for phase 1 of the NT Domestic Family Sexual Violence Reduction Framework, Action Plan 2. But it doesn't look like there is any funding for women's safety houses including in remote communities, an area that is greatly under-resourced," she said.

Anglicare chief executive Craig Kelly said: "Given improvements to the financial position and budget structural issues, it is time to ramp up investment in social services on the back of previous investment, not maintain current levels."

The social sector welcomed funding for remote homelands and outstations housing, but said it is unclear whether the Budget includes funding to tackle wait times for social and transitional housing.

NT Mental Health Coalition CEO Geoff Radford said there had been no increase in current funding for community mental health services, which was a "drop in the ocean" for what was needed.

"Cost of living pressure places stress on families, escalating mental health concerns. Financial security is crucial for mental health," he said.

"Territorians need support to ensure their basic needs such as housing and food security are covered. They need access to mental health support when and where they need it, not weeks later or having to travel long distances and pay high costs."

NT Treasurer Eva Lawley said the budget "invests in the Territory's future and delivers for all Territorians".

"Budget 2023 includes new policy commitments for core government services as well as reducing cost of living pressures with generous savings on household and business utilities bills. It also incorporates new initiatives aimed at investing for the future including justice reform, strengthening cyber security, domestic, family and sexual violence prevention, and record investment in capital works projects," she said.

The most recent NTCOSS Value of the Sector Report found the NT not-for-profit sector is larger and employs more people than the mining sector in the NT - with more than 20,000 Territory workers and volunteers - and contributes more to state domestic product.

"Our sector contributes in the vicinity of $3.26 billion to the NT economy," NTCOSS noted.

"We need more funding restored to our sector to address wage growth of more than five per cent following last year's Fair Work Australia National Wage Case decision, at a time of significantly growing demand on our services."