Citygate Network Confronts Homelessness One Conversation at a Time

Leaders in 45-plus cities nationwide host 24 hours of 'Conversations on a Bench' on Oct. 8–9, ahead of World Homeless Day

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of World Homeless Day, Citygate Network, the largest network of rescue missions and recovery centers in North America, is inviting the country to pull up a chair. Beginning October 8 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT, benches outside rescue missions and recovery centers in more than 45 cities will fill with strangers willing to talk honestly on camera for 24 straight hours about homelessness, addiction, and mental health for Conversations on a Bench. 

Rain or shine, leaders across the country will listen for a full day as neighbors, pastors, and community members share their own stories, unscripted and often for the first time. The goal of this annual event is to spark conversations to break down stigma and create real change in how communities respond to homelessness and addiction.

"Conversations on a Bench started with a simple idea that real change begins when we stop talking about people experiencing homelessness and start talking with them," said Tom De Vries, president and CEO of Citygate Network. "Last year alone we had more than 1,400 conversations and in each one we've seen that when neighbors sit down together and listen, walls come down."

Nearly 1 million people in North America experience homelessness every day.

"Homelessness is rarely about one moment or one mistake," De Vries said. "It's shaped by layered root causes, and every story is different."

Conversations on a Bench invites people from all walks of life to slow down and hear stories shaped by homelessness, trauma, addiction, mental health challenges, loss and resilience that are too often overlooked. Each bench becomes a space of shared humanity, a moment where dignity is restored through listening, and where understanding grows not through answers, but through presence.

Citygate Network will host a 24-hour livestream of conversations here while local rescue missions, recovery centers, and ministries across the country host their own Conversations on a Bench event and livestream across their social platforms. This year, conversations will be taking place in cities including:

• Dallas
• Denver
• Fresno, California
• Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Greenville, South Carolina
• Las Vegas
• Orange County, California
• Pittsburgh
• Portland, Oregon 
• St. Paul, Minnesota  

"These benches give someone experiencing homelessness a chance to be heard, maybe for the first time in a long time," said De Vries. "That's the work our partner organizations do every day. We're just inviting the rest of the country to sit down and be part of it so we can continue to shift the narrative around homelessness."

For more information about Conversations on a Bench, including how to watch the livestream, submit questions, or host a local event, visit conversationsonabench.org.

About Citygate Network

Citygate Network, formerly the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, is the largest and one of the oldest networks of rescue missions and recovery centers in North America, connecting ministries that serve people facing homelessness, addiction, and mental health crises. Through initiatives like Conversations on a Bench, Citygate Network works to humanize these issues and mobilize communities toward lasting, life-transforming change. For information visit citygatenetwork.org.

SOURCE Citygate Network