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

Link to site

www.kqed.org/w/baywindow/hope/

Purchase Information

An Institutional/Educational/AV VHS version of Hope on the Street is available from Filmmakers Library:

FILMAKERS LIBRARY

124 E. 40th St.

New York, NY 10016 

Web site: www.filmakers.com

E-mail: info@filmakers.com

Phone: 1 800-555-9815