Mathew Broster begins fundraiser marathon to keep Byron Bay’s homelessness service open

Mathew Broster was on the bones of his backside last October and found comfort in a Byron Bay Cottage - and now he’s running hard to pay them back.

Mathew Broster at the Off the Street On Our Feet marathon fundraiser at the Gold Coast

In a bid to raise cash for the only homelessness service in Byron Bay, a man has launched a fundraiser marathon to keep it afloat.

Fletcher Street Cottage, which feeds and offers services like showers and rent assistance to those doing it tough, says it needs $1 million to continue providing help this financial year.

It comes as the homelessness situation in the playground of the rich and famous has spiralled out of control – a recent street count found more homeless people on the streets of Byron than in the City of Sydney.

Marathon fundraiser at the Gold Coast

Mathew Broster, 39, has a background in social work and found himself at the doorstep of the cottage in October, when experiencing a difficult time in his life, resulting in sleeping rough for about two months.

To give back to the cottage and help the community, Mr Broster founded the Off The Street On Our Feet (OTSOOF) marathon fundraiser collaborating with the Byron Runners group.

The participants completed their first marathon on July 1.

Mathew Broster with another runner.

“Running is a discipline and unless you’ve got that discipline with running then you can’t have that discipline with life, whether that’s coming off of drugs or making those appointments,” he said.

“There’s been a large percentage of service users who have run with us and they’ve been able to communicate with healthy role models and coaches from the Byron Bay Runners group.”

The OTSOOF fundraisers had a team of 22 runners who completed a half marathon at the Gold Coast on July 1, netting $13,000 for the Fletcher Street Cottage (FSC).

Group photo of the Off The Street On Our Feet runners

“I’ve seen emotions and tears when people talk about FSC, especially when we were running ... some without training, because that’s how much the cottage means to them,” Mr Broster said.

“If this cottage was to be taken away there would be a lot of lost hope because it would be like the only safety net they’ve got where they can communicate, come together, eat and run.

Marathon participants running towards the finish line

“We wake up in the morning (and) most people have a home and we know we’ve got breakfast and a space with a kitchen and a bathroom and it’s natural and we take it for granted - (FSC) is like their home.”

The OTSOOF group is planning another Gold Coast half marathon at the end of homelessness week on August 12-13.

“I wouldn’t have been able to get back on my feet without FSC,” Mr Broster said.