Back to the Bench: Portland Rescue Mission's Erin Holcomb to Once Again Spend 24-Hours Listening on Burnside
Portland Police Chief Bob Day, left, speaks with Erin Holcomb, Interim Executive Director of Portland Rescue Mission, on the bench outside PRM's Burnside Shelter during Conversations on a Bench. (Photo: Portland Rescue Mission)
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, left, talks with Erin Holcomb, Interim Executive Director of Portland Rescue Mission, on the bench outside PRM's Burnside Shelter during Conversations on a Bench 2025. (Photo: Portland Rescue Mission)
Portland Rescue Mission
Ahead of World Homeless Day, “Conversations on a Bench” seeks to spark honest conversations around the challenges and hope found on Portland’s streets
Now in its second year in Portland, PRM joins nearly 100 rescue missions across North America in Conversations on a Bench, a nationwide movement led by Citygate Network. The 24-hour livestream invites the community into authentic conversations about homelessness, addiction, trauma, and hope, replacing assumptions with understanding and highlighting the dignity and worth of every person.
“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.
The public is encouraged to participate in person or online throughout the event. Viewers can watch the livestream, submit questions and prayer requests, and follow conversations in real time at portlandrescuemission.org and on PRM’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
Media are welcome to attend at any time during the 24-hour event. Interviews with Holcomb, PRM staff, volunteers, and program participants can be arranged, and visual opportunities will be available throughout, including the noon kickoff, sunset, overnight hours, and sunrise on Friday. Please contact Shauna Stephenson before arriving so we can coordinate check-in.
Event Details
When: Thursday, October 8, 2026, beginning at 12:00 p.m. PT, through 12:00 p.m. PT on Friday, October 9 (24 hours)
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 - 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, 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.
We are 100% community funded. Every day, hope and transformation are realized at Portland Rescue Mission, a legacy that started in 1949 and continues today.
Learn more at portlandrescuemission.org.
About Citygate Network
As North America’s largest association of independent, faith-based ministries, Citygate Network represents a unified movement of rescue missions, addiction recovery centers, prison outreach programs, and life-transformation initiatives working to address homelessness and its root causes.
The network equips ministry leaders and frontline teams with community, resources, advocacy, and best practices, empowering them to respond with excellence and compassion. By connecting shelters, recovery programs, and outreach efforts, the organization fosters shared strategies that guide individuals from crisis to stability and lasting flourishing.
Learn more at citygatenetwork.org.
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Shauna Stephenson
Portland Rescue Mission
+1 503-351-8330
shauna.stephenson@pdxmission.org
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