DrawBridge is a Bay Area nonprofit that provides expressive art programs for homeless and underserved children. We present 25 weekly art groups in seven Bay Area counties and serve over 900 kids each year, with a total of 5,800 child visits annually to the groups.

For over 30 years, DrawBridge has offered a safe, supportive environment in which children ages 4-18 can use creative arts to work through the stresses in their lives, and discover their creativity, joy, and self-confidence. Kids have the space to have some fun, make some art, and express themselves in a completely safe and accepting environment. Through art, children can release the build-up of potentially destructive emotions.

Each group is run by a trained, experienced Facilitator and one or more trained volunteers, who bring inspiration, encouragement and compassion to each session. They focus on creating a positive, supported art experience for the kids, who are given art materials, general ideas, and then are set free to do their own creative exploration. And they love it!

Normally, we go right into the facilities where the kids live to bring the art groups to them. These sites include homeless shelters, safe houses, transitional and supportive housing, and affordable housing. Due to the current pandemic, we are finding new ways to connect with the children we serve, to keep them actively engaged in art projects. This includes the creation of individual art kits for the kids, delivered to the sites that want them, and online projects and videos, curated for the kids and shared on our website, www.drawbridge.org/home-projects.