Erin Holcomb, Portland Rescue Mission, spends 24-hours on a bench outside the shelter talking with neighbors about homelessness.
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Portland Rescue Mission
Oct. 5, 2026
PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 5, 2026 /Standard Newswire/ — Starting Thursday, October 8, 2026, Erin Holcomb, Interim Executive Director of Portland Rescue Mission, will spend 24 hours on a bench outside PRM’s Burnside Shelter welcoming anyone to stop by for an unscripted conversation. The livestreamed event, “Conversations on a Bench,” runs through noon on Friday, October 9, just ahead of World Homeless Day on October 10.
PRM joins other rescue missions in Conversations on a Bench, a nationwide movement. The event invites the community into authentic conversations about homelessness, addiction, trauma, and hope, replacing assumptions with understanding and facts.
“Conversations on a Bench invites our community to set aside assumptions and listen to the people behind the headlines,” said Holcomb. “At a time where more than 1,500 shelter beds are closing in our region, we need to focus on what is working: proven approaches that help people move off the streets and into self-sufficient, transformed lives. We invite you to sit, listen, and engage, because caring for our neighbors and finding real solutions takes all of us, together.”
Guests expected to join Holcomb on the bench include Mayor Keith Wilson, Police Chief Bob Day, and graduates of PRM’s recovery program. Community members, city leaders, ministry guests, volunteers, and curious passersby are also invited to share their stories, ask questions, or simply listen
When: Thursday, October 8, 2026, beginning at 12:00 p.m. PT, through 12:00 p.m. PT on Friday, October 9
Where: Portland Rescue Mission Burnside Shelter, 111 W. Burnside, Portland, OR
Livestream: Facebook | YouTube
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 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. Through Christian discipleship, life skills training, workforce development, and addiction recovery, we provide individualized, sustainable care, walking alongside each person as they move toward stability, healing, and a purposeful, self-sufficient life. Portland Rescue Mission is 100% community funded.
SOURCE Portland Rescue Mission
CONTACT: Shauna Stephenson, 503-351-8330, shauna.stephenson@pdxmission.org