FRESNO, Calif. (KGPE/KSEE) – A Fresno man is sitting on a bench for 24 hours to try and raise awareness about the issues surrounding homelessness.

Matthew Dildine is the CEO of Fresno Mission, headquartered here on Dakota and Blackstone Avenues.

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He says this fundraiser is to raise money for the Fresno Mission and raise awareness for issues surrounding homelessness.

“Just to have a series of conversations with people across the community about the issue of homelessness,” said Dildine.

Sitting on a bench for 24 hours, Matthew Dildine is trying to open up conversations about homelessness with a conversation on a bench.

“We can put pressure on change for change to actually happen,” he said.

Dildine hosted this event, which was fully live-streamed on the Fresno Mission’s Facebook page, to both discuss what homeless people need, as well as the community’s feelings towards it in their neighborhoods.

“There is a young woman here who was housing insecure, and she was just frustrated with the system. There were somethings that she said that I didn’t agree with, but other things that I could totally see where she is coming from,” he said.

Dildine could only use the things that were donated to him and showed up at the bench with only a sweater.

“Great marketing, I think it’s great,” said Marylen Karsted.

Karsted, came to donate blankets and hoodies.

“He said I’m going to be out here 24 hours, so it motivated me to go through my closets and get some things I no longer use before,” she said.

People brought him pizza and a beanie. His family, as well as a security guard with Fresno Mission, was with him when we interviewed him.

The biggest issues for him in homelessness?

“Housing, resources, all across the board,” Dildine responded. “We don’t have enough, we’re not even close.”

According to Dildine, Fresno Mission houses around 3-400 people a night on their campuses.

With a new building on the way, he says that number could double.

“If you think what California is doing is working right now, great but if you’re like me and you feel it’s just exacerbating the problem, and I don’t believe the solutions are going to come out of Sacramento or DC,” said Dildine.

The conversations on a bench are also to fundraise for the Fresno Mission.

Every dollar donated, Dildine says, is going into the community.

“That money is going to go into the services that we provide 365 days a year. Giving people access to shelter, giving access to resources, to food, and all the other stuff in between,” he said.

He is going to be on that same bench, rain or shine until 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.

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