CEO Hosts Conversations on a Bench in St. Paul

The 24-hour event aims to raise awareness regarding homelessness and addiction issues in the community.

Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Remote Work

CEO Hosts Conversations on a Bench in St. Paul

Live Poll

Do you believe homelessness is a crisis that could eventually impact your own household's financial stability?

Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities CEO Pam Stegora Axberg spent 24 hours sitting on a bench to host Conversations on a Bench. The faith-based event brought a national initiative to Minnesota to discuss local homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges.

Why it matters

The event provides a public space to build community relationships and highlight local strategies needed to alleviate the homelessness crisis. It serves as a direct effort to increase awareness and address the urgent needs of the local population.

Ramsey County reported 1,234 individuals in shelters and 410 unsheltered in 2024, while Hennepin County counted 2,496 sheltered individuals in 2026. Currently, the Union Gospel Mission men's campus operates at 99% capacity.

The players

Pam Stegora Axberg

She serves as the CEO of Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities and organized the local iteration of the bench movement.

Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities

This organization provides services for individuals experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental health struggles.

St. Paul Public Schools

This local district manages programs that support students and families experiencing housing instability.

The details

The initiative required the host to remain on a bench for an entire day while facilitating a live feed for interviews with the public. This movement, which began in Virginia in 2017, focuses on fostering dialogue to address systemic barriers to stable housing and mental health care.

Conversations on a Bench started in Virginia in 2017.
Ramsey County reported homelessness figures in 2024.
Hennepin County collected unsheltered homelessness data in 2025.
Hennepin County conducted a point-in-time count in January 2026.
CEO Pam Stegora Axberg hosted the 24-hour event in October 2026.

Market Landscape

This event extends the national Conversations on a Bench faith-based movement to the Minnesota region. It reflects a growing industry trend of using high-visibility, grassroots engagement to compete for public attention and donor support in the social services sector.

Residents can engage with these discussions to better understand local housing challenges and volunteer opportunities. The initiative highlights the current strain on community shelters, potentially influencing how the public supports future local aid programs.

The takeaway

Building community relationships through open dialogue is a key strategy for addressing systemic social issues like homelessness. Participants are encouraged to stay informed about local shelter capacity and support regional programs that assist families on waiting lists.