The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism
2000-2001

Michael Isip
Executive Producer, KQED-TV
Former Executive Producer, KVIE-TV
San Francisco, California
Website: http://www.kqed.org/w/hope/

TOPIC: Producing a one-hour documentary about people who are homeless and have mental illnesses, highlighting local outreach workers' efforts

Hope on the Street
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.

Producer Finds 'Hope' Among the Homeless: PBS Documentary Depicts Mentally Ill on Bay Area Streets
This article reviews "Hope on the Street," a documentary about the homeless in San Francisco by former Fellow Michael Isip.

Hope on the Street - Video
Hope on the Street takes a personal look at the lives of four people who are mentally ill and have been homeless, plus the devastating impact of their condition on their families. This one-hour documentary reveals the possibilities of hope and recovery and shatters the stigma of mental illness.