Thor star Chris Hemsworth says we can all be heroes for the homeless

Byron Bay is waking up, the cafes starting to bustle and the streets bathed in a golden morning glow. Chris Hemsworth parks his non-descript four-wheel-drive and walks towards the Fletcher Street Cottage, a one-stop shop for people sleeping rough in the tourist mecca and, increasingly, also a lifeline for the working poor who can no longer make ends meet.

The sun is out but there's a chill in the air. Winter still visits this world-famous surf town that attracts more than 2 million visitors a year but also has the highest rents in the nation, more rough sleepers than any other NSW local government area and house prices so astronomical that long-time locals are being driven out.

With 2024 Homelessness Week beginning on August 5, Hemsworth is using his star power to urge governments and the big end of town to do more to help those living on the brink - not just in Byron, but across the nation.

"I'm completely aware that a lot of people are also doing it hard," he said. "So, I'm not speaking to those individuals. It's more people like myself who are financially stable and can contribute and also to raise awareness to government about the issue."

Hemsworth, Hollywood superstar and Byron local, is a major donor to the Fletcher Street Cottage which on Friday morning is serving up breakfast burgers and coffee to people who might have spent the night in their car, on a couch or on the beach.

The warm, light-filled cottage in the centre of Byron also provides services to those in need, whether it's a haircut, a phone call to sort out Centrelink or a place to have a shower and wash their clothes.

One of the long-term users of the cottage, who used to sleep on the banks of the Brunswick River but now lives in public housing in the town, says it is a place people can catch their breath and feel like they "belong somewhere".

"The staff are very dedicated in every sense, they really care about people. They care for them as people, not numbers" the man, in his 60s, said. "It's a beautiful place in that way."

And, without Chris Hemsworth and other key local donors, it's likely the cottage would have to close its doors.

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It's run by the local non-profit Byron Bay Community Centre and general manager Louise O'Connell said donations from Hemsworth and others had helped renovate the cottage and engage specialist staff in areas such as mental health.

"Without any any ongoing government support, we rely on philanthropic donations to keep Fletcher Street Cottage open," she said.

Operating hours had to be reduced late last year from five days a week to four even as demand for services, which include meals, laundry and shower facilities plus access to community support workers, more than doubled.

Cottage assistant manager Maddi Powell said the number of people turning up for breakfast each day had increased in the past two years from 30 to around 80 to 100.

"And the need is just growing and growing," she said.

"And we've definitely seen a change in the people. We're seeing a lot of families at the moment. A lot of women. A lot of single mothers escaping domestic violence. And a lot of older women who are sleeping rough or sleeping in their cars."

Hemsworth, down-to-earth but also considered in everything he says, is world-famous for his role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

At Fletcher Street, he is just Chris the Byron local checking in on how things are going, not wanting to draw attention to himself but feeling a responsibility to step up because of his privileged position.

"There are very vulnerable individuals coming through the doors from varied backgrounds and circumstances and they need our support and not our judgement," he said, after greeting the staff with a hug and chatting with the volunteers in the kitchen.

He says the thought of women and children becoming homeless because they are fleeing domestic violence should be enough motivation for real change.

"That should ignite in all of us a deep sense of compassion and empathy and need and want to contribute and be involved and help," he said.

Hemsworth, wife Elsa Pataky and their three children live just south of Byron. It's here he retreats to between making movies and television around the world. His kids go to school locally. He plans to get them and their school mates eventually volunteering in the kitchen at Fletcher Street.

"I moved here about 10 years ago and fell in love with the place and like everyone was shocked to hear about the issue of homelessness and how prominent it is here," he said.

"I heard about the work Fletcher Street Cottage and Louise were doing and was motivated to get involved and contribute."

The NSW government recently provided emergency funding to the cottage. Hemsworth hopes that translates into ongoing support.

" [NSW Minister for Homelessness] Rose Jackson has agreed to give some government support and funding, which is great," he said.

"But it still requires a lot of involvement from the community, including people who are in a position to help, like myself."

Hemsworth says he's learnt a lot from his involvement, including that the homeless, those living on the edge, do not always fit the stereotype - something repeated across the country during a cost of living crisis.

"I've heard stories from the team here about the people who are in the shadows and how there is a certain shame or guilt that comes with it," he said.

"They're living in cars and various places ... still taking kids to school, still trying to seek work or going to work, but living out of the back of a car. And so it's not just the obvious cases."

An alarming report released on Monday reveals the homelessness crisis is not easing - and children are suffering.

The new Homelessness Australia data shows that more than 76,000 children under the age of 18 sought help from homelessness support services across the nation annually.

Almost 16,000 of them were alone - unaccompanied by a parent or care-giver - and many were fleeing family violence, abuse or neglect.

A further 19,833 children were turned away from support services without being provided any assistance at all, a result of what Homelessness Australia says is the "severe lack of resources and overwhelming demand faced by the sector".

"As a dad, as a human being, for all of us, it pulls on our heartstrings in a very dramatic way," Hemsworth said.

"My parents spent their working career in child protection and I was always inspired by the work they were doing and also found it incredibly heartbreaking.

"Those formative years as kids are the foundation of who we are as people, our opinions of ourselves, the world around us. If that period is not spent in a safe environment, with love and support, the ripple effect is catastrophic."

That takes him back to his first point: fixing homelessness is a collective responsibility.

"We as human beings have a responsibility to each other, we have a responsibility to take care of one another, to be kind, to be compassionate," he said.

"We don't always do the best job at that, but when we do we can have a profound, positive effect."

Not everyone at the cottage knows Chris as the actor. Julie Ross, who lives on a nearby macadamia farm and volunteers once a week in the cottage kitchen, had no idea he was someone famous. She's just happy to lend a hand and give a cheery hello to whoever walks through the door.

Anonymity is something that suits Hemsworth just fine. He wants to be part of the community and, here, he can be just Chris.

"It's why we moved here," he said. "I lived in LA for probably 15 years and had kids and it got very chaotic as far as the paparazzi went. People travel there from all around the world to go and sightsee celebrities. So we moved here to fly under the radar and I've found that we've had a great relationship with the local community here.

"The paparazzi pop up occasionally but it's nothing like the States. And it's just a beautiful place. There's a magnetic pull here that runs deep. It certainly feels like home now and I feel very fortunate and grateful to live here."

Retired occupational therapist Rhonda Whelan, 64, has lived in Byron for 40 years and also volunteers at the Fletcher Street Cottage.

She's seen a lot change and things become harder for families. The median house price, for a start, is $2.8 million.

"My own children and my friend's children, who are now grown up, can't afford to live in the town where they grew up," Mrs Whelan said.

"And that's very common among my peers. Their children have no expectation they will be able to buy a house here.

"It's very sad, we can't keep teachers. I'm an OT and when I retired, it was very difficult to fill my position. Those middle-range professionals can't even afford to come here. It's a real problem."

While the image of Byron Bay is of carefree backpackers and Instagram models, Mrs Whelan says it also has a strong bedrock of community. Something that Hemsworth feels too.

"We still love it here," she said. "I love that we have such fantastic facilities in a beautiful environment. But that, of course, comes with challenges because so many people love it here and that has changed the real estate situation."

And, as Mrs Whelan notes, Hemsworth may just be the successor to Strop.

"In the old days we had John Cornell and Delvene Delaney [the once long-time owners of the Byron Bay Beach Hotel] and they were the previous Hemsworths and they were really gorgeous contributors to the town."