Charity raises $23k for homeless people in Gold Coast walk

After being homeless and alone for more than two decades, Jason Byram found himself yesterday walking alongside 250 strangers.

Jason Byram knows how much walking needs to be done to get to services after being homeless for more than two decades.

The 41-year-old, who spent years sleeping rough on the sand at Kirra Beach, said several times a week he would take a 90-minute walk to Palm Beach to get to Centrelink or other services.

Yesterday he found himself surrounded by more than 250 strangers who walked 28km with him from Hope Island to Miami Beach for Homeless Awareness week.

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“Some places offer services only once every three months, some are every day. So you try to spread them out so you always have a feed,” he said.

Jason Byram doesn’t want others to go through what he has. Pic Mike Batterham

“I would sleep at Kirra Beach and then walk to Centrelink in Palm Beach. It was a regular thing.”

Mr Byram has recently found himself accommodation in Brisbane but when the Bulletin commented that it must have been hard, he said: “I’m used to it by now.’’

“I’ve been on the streets since I was 13,” he said.

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“Getting (people) off the street is only part of the problem. Don’t annihilate them for it.

“Things happen, people make mistakes. They should try to eliminate the reason of why it happens instead of trying to solve it.”

This was the first Long Walk Home charity walk.

One of the organisers Susie Longman said she was ecstatic with the number of people who showed their support.

Hundreds attended the walk. Pic Mike Batterham

“They did research last year which showed homeless people walk on average 28km to get to basic services,” she said.

“It’s a space I’m passionate about. My son and I run the Christmas Community Lunch where we feed 700 people on Christmas Day.”

The walk raised more than $23,000 and organisers are planning on making it an annual event.