Empowered by the past. Inspired by the future.

Who We Are

A Pending 501(c)(3)

Our goal is to provide creative solutions that allow youth to maintain and manage behaviors that then provide them with more opportunities for permanency and normalcy after adoption, being fostered, or aging out of the system.

A Program For Homeless & Foster Youth

We are open to foster families, group homes, and shelters who may be seeking additional resources for their children.

An Opportunity For change

We create an artistic home environment that advocates for imagination, encourages success, and propels positive emotional, behavioral, and academic transformations.

What We Provide

Community Outreach

A Home 4 Art seeks to not only provide community support for youth in need but to provide the children that we serve with the opportunity to advocate for themselves. Through outreach events such as our Gallery 4 Good, Kids 4 Kids, and Acting 4 Action programs, our children can strengthen their definition of community and family. We welcome the public to these events in the hopes of igniting a spark within our talented youth and those who support their dreams.

4 Pillar Programs

Our "home" is supported by four artistic pillars: art, music, drama, and literature. Each of these enrichment programs was carefully designed, in collaboration with expressive arts instructors, to serve homeless youth ages 6-17. Our programs aim to establish a sense of normalcy, permanency, and security within those we serve. With the aid of community volunteers and staff, we help youth to redefine their pasts and gain control of their futures.

A Movement for Change

As art programs dwindle and homelessness grows, we are prepared to be a forward movement for change. Our goal is to inspire the communities that we serve to educate themselves about homeless issues and extend a hand where they are able. A Home 4 Art hopes to gather momentum in order to serve states outside of Florida and countries outside of the United States. We are a global movement for neglected, abandoned, and homeless youth who eagerly await their opportunity to shine.

Why We Exist

To Bring Art Back To The Community

In 2017, Florida allowed $25 million for art projects. In 2018, it dropped to $2.6 million — nearly 90 percent less. Those funds will be split among 489 organizations approved through the state’s Department of Cultural Affairs. A Home 4 Art provides those in need with art, music, literature, and drama opportunities that may have been reduced in schools or centers within local communities.

To Reduce Trafficking

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, over 6,000 trafficking victims were reported in 2018. A new report published on Action News stated that Florida ranks third in the nation for active sex and labor trafficking cases being prosecuted in federal court. A Home 4 Art provides a place for children to participate in fun, safe, and positive activities. If they are "home", then there is a less likely chance that they will be exposed to trafficking.

To Support Foster & Homeless Youth

The Council on Homelessness Annual Report reveals that, on one day and one night in January 2018, Florida communities identified 29,717 persons who were living on the streets, in the woods, or in emergency shelters. Those numbers included 2,515 homeless veterans, 8,300 persons in homeless families, and 5,230 chronically homeless and disabled persons. These were persons meeting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition of homelessness. Further, for the school year 2016-2017, Florida’s public schools identified 76,211 students as homeless, including those families that had lost their housing and were staying in motels or with family and friends (living arrangements that do not fit into the HUD definition of homelessness). A Home 4 Art has partnered with local shelters and group homes, bringing our programs where they are needed most. This ensures available resources that reduce the risks associated with poverty.

Founder

Michalla Brianna

A Home 4 Art was founded in 2019 by child advocate Michalla Brianna. Michalla received a B.A. in human developmental psychology & creative writing from Eckerd College. She is currently a student at The University of the Cumberlands where she will earn her M.A. in clinical counseling. Additionally, Michalla is CPR and First Aid Certified and has completed DCF, Early Learning, and Foster training.

Michalla is a former Disney entertainer, children's party planner, gymnastics coach, pre-k teacher, a professional singer, commercial model, and public speaker for youth. She currently owns and operates The Barrie Patch where she publishes and sells her inspirational children's books, apparel, and games.

In the future, Michalla will complete an additional M.A. in digital media from Harvard University, obtain her Florida counseling license, and become a certified expressive arts therapist.

Born into poverty, Michalla struggled for the first ten years of her life before being taken in by her grandparents. "For the first time, someone told me that they believed in me and provided me with various expressive outlets. Through this experience, I learned that one person can make a difference in a child's life. I want children to enter a space where they feel that they can be themselves and explore a future that is not defined by their pasts.”