The Mission at Kern County wrapped up a 24-hour livestream on Friday. It’s called Conversation on the Bench — and it brought together community leaders, and everyday people to talk openly about homelessness.

For 24 consecutive hours, Executive Director of The Mission at Kern County Carlos Baldovinos sat at a bench, speaking with countless members of the community on homelessness.

By the end of it, Baldovinos says he spoke with around 60 people, from neighbors experiencing homelessness, city leaders, law enforcement, business owners and both current participants and graduates of the Mission’s programs.

“I’ve even had some people give me ideas like hey maybe we need to work on this or that so I think it’s been a great opportunity to hear from the community almost like a town hall meeting,

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