Erin Holcomb, Executive Director, Portland Rescue Mission
Longtime PRM leader guided two years of growth as interim director and will lead the Mission’s expansion beyond Old Town
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Portland Rescue Mission
Nov. 13, 2026
PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 13, 2026 /Standard Newswire/ — The Portland Rescue Mission Board of Directors today announced the appointment of Erin Holcomb as executive director, effective immediately. Holcomb has served as interim executive director since 2024, a period in which Portland Rescue Mission (PRM) cared for 19 percent more people and nearly doubled its Mobile Outreach.
In fiscal year 2026, PRM served 8,122 people experiencing homelessness and addiction, provided 286,876 meals and 73,085 nights of shelter, and reached 2,000 face-to-face connections a month through its Mobile Outreach Ministry. Additionally, 86% of PRM’s New Life Recovery Graduates in the past five years remain housed and free from addiction. PRM is 100 percent community funded, and its work is made possible by its community of donors, 96 partner churches, and 2,143 volunteers.
“Erin knows this ministry inside and out,” said Sandra Yager, chair of the Portland Rescue Mission Board of Directors. “She is equipped and ready to meet this moment, and the board is confident she is the right leader to carry PRM forward.”
Under Holcomb’s interim leadership, PRM earned back-to-back Top Workplace honors from The Oregonian, and Holcomb was named one of three outstanding leaders in the region.
Rooted in the ministry
Holcomb joined Portland Rescue Mission in 2006 as volunteer coordinator and became director of staff ministry in 2008, leading recruitment, training and staff development. She has worked alongside the Mission’s guests and program participants, served as its spokesperson and board liaison with the shared goal of caring for neighbors in need. Her focus on people and culture has shaped a workplace where staff and volunteers feel called, equipped and cared for.
“Our great privilege is to meet people at their most desperate hour,” Holcomb said. “It is gospel work, and that’s why I love showing up to it every day.”
Reaching beyond Old Town
Portland Rescue Mission began on Burnside Street in 1949. Today, the need extends well beyond Old Town, with people struggling with homelessness and addiction in communities across the metro area where help is hard to find. Under Holcomb’s leadership, PRM plans to go where the need is greatest, building on its recent expansion of its Mobile Outreach and a 39 percent increase in capacity for the New Life Recovery Program for men this fall.
PRM’s focus remains on lasting outcomes: walking with each person from crisis to stability, through recovery and into a life of purpose. That work depends on the donors, partner churches, and volunteers who fund and staff it.
A lifelong Portlander, Holcomb and her husband are raising three children and are active members of The Well Community Church.
About Portland Rescue Mission
Since 1949, Portland Rescue Mission has been a beacon of compassion, love, and God’s grace to a community facing homelessness, addiction, and trauma. This commitment has shaped how we serve – not with a one-size-fits-all program, but with an approach as varied as the people who walk through our doors.
Today, that legacy lives on through the PRM Transformation Model, our Christ-centered approach for helping neighbors in crisis move toward wholeness. The model reflects four essential areas of support – Get Help, Stabilize, Recover, and Give Back – because healing doesn’t follow a straight line, and no two journeys look the same. Through Christian discipleship, addiction recovery, workforce development, life skills training, and community support, we provide individualized, sustainable care, walking alongside each person as they move toward stability, healing, and a purposeful, self-sufficient life.
We are 100% community funded. Every day, hope and transformation are realized at Portland Rescue Mission, a legacy that started in 1949 and continues with every neighbor we serve today. Learn more at portlandrescuemission.org.
Additional Resources
Picture: Erin Holcomb, Executive Director, Portland Rescue Mission
Bio: Erin Holcomb, Executive Director, Portland Rescue Mission
Link to Video Announcement: Erin Holcomb named Executive Director, Portland Rescue Mission
Media contact:
Shauna Stephenson, Communications Director
Portland Rescue Mission
shauna.stephenson@pdxmission.org | 503-351-8330
SOURCE Portland Rescue Mission
