Laurie Matthews

Laurie Matthews (Laurence Charles Matthews, born 1956) founded Caretakers Cottage a youth homelessness service in Sydney, Australia and currently serves as CEO. Laurie was also a founding member Yfoundations, a peak body organisation for youth homelessness in New South Wales. and has served on the Yfoundations board for a number of years between 1989 and 2011.

Laurie also serves on the board of Southern Youth and Family Services, a homelessness service based in Wollongong, New South Wales.

Laurie Matthews is the son of Reverend Rex Matthews and Gwenneth Joy ("Gwen") Matthews. Laurie is married to Sara Matthews and has two brothers and one sister. Laurie was born in Camperdown and his family moved to the Eastern Suburbs around 1970. Laurie attended school in Newington and began working after school in his local neighbourhood at the Holdsworth Street Playground (now Holdsworth Community Centre). Under his father’s influence, Laurie began working in the social welfare sector.

Laurie's father, Rex Matthews, was the minister of the Uniting Church in Paddington, chaplain at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Camperdown Children's Hospital, as well as a journalist and news sub-editor for The Australian.

Laurie's brother Peter Matthews also served on the board of Yfoundations, from 1982-83 as treasurer and 1984 as a board member.

Laurie together with his wife Sara Matthews, founded the Caretakers Cottage youth refuge in 1977. At the time, funding for the refuge came from the parish's Village Church Centre, however, Laurie and Sara ran the refuge for little and often no pay. Laurie later assumed the role of CEO of the organisation.

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