• Outstanding Media Award for Television Documentary, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
• Media Award for Local Television News, Educational or Public Service Programming, National Mental Health Association
• Community Service Award, Alameda County Mental Health Board
• Commendation, San Francisco Mental Health Board
• Northern California Emmy Nomination for Best Documentary

program description

They are people we often ignore and avoid. They wander the streets, take shelter under bridges and sleep in parks. What is it like to be mentally ill and homeless on the streets of San Francisco? What about family members who are desperately trying to reconnect with their loved ones? According to the California Department of Mental Health, an estimated 50,000 mentally ill people in California sleep on the street each night, and thousands more go to jail or are hospitalized. The city of San Francisco estimates that 70 percent of its homeless residents are mentally ill or substance abusers -- or both.

Hope on the Street looks at the lives of people who have spent time on the streets while living with their mental illness. The one-hour documentary focuses on hope and recovery as it looks beneath the tattered clothes, the dirt, the grime to reveal individuals who have an illness and who deserve respect, patience and understanding.

Hope on the Street will air nationally on many public television stations beginning in April and May 2003 (check local listings). The program looks at mental illness and homelessness through five heart-wrenching personal stories of people who are in need of help and of people who are on their way to recovery. The stories also bring in family members as well as local outreach workers who are helping this underserved and often-overlooked segment of our population

During this compelling hour, we meet

• Sandra, whose family in Mississippi has been trying to find her for more than 15 years. As the family dreams of the awaited reunion, Sandra has a setback in her recovery and now denies she left a family behind.

• Richard, also known as Circle Man because of his tendency to walk around in circles on the same block in San Francisco. Richard is an elderly veteran and former chemist who has the financial means and family support to leave the streets, but has been cycling in and out of homelessness, hospitals and jails for more than 20 years.

• Ray, who describes his as a story against all odds. He survived an abusive childhood and a homeless adolescence in which the only life he knew was gang life. In addition, he constantly struggles with a bipolar disorder. Ray overcame his illness with the support of his family and proper treatment and is now an outreach worker and speaker at mental health conferences across the country.

• J.J., who suffers from schizophrenia and was homeless for five years. His is a touching story of the importance of treatment and friendship. A man, who is now not only his boss but also his best friend, helped J.J. gain a new lease on life simply by taking a chance on him.

Hope on the Street offers proof that if society helps the mentally ill and homeless gain access to quality services, many of them will seize the opportunity to live productive and healthy lives.

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