Founded in 2010, Ardella’s House is a service and advocacy non-profit organization committed to helping women with criminal justice histories realize new possibilities for themselves and their families. Our programs make it possible for women to obtain work, housing, and health care; to rebuild their families; and to participate fully in civic life. Through her Institute on Women & Criminal Justice, Tonie is realizing her vision as a tireless advocate for a rigorous policy, advocacy, and research agenda that brings new perspectives to public debates on women and criminal justice and the enormous toll that mass incarceration has taken. Most recently she has been a vociferous advocate for the “Dignity Act,” a series of bi-partisan legislation provisions in Pennsylvania to bring dignity to incarcerated women; to end shackling of pregnant women; to provide adequate access to feminine hygiene products; to support keeping families together by limiting the distance of a woman’s incarceration so that she can be closer to her family; and to recommend diversionary sentencing for women who have been convicted of non-violent crimes.
As a cut#50 Pennsylvania Dignity Ambassador, Ardella’s House has hosted the National Day of Empathy in Philadelphia to generate empathy and to humanize and uplift the stories of women and their families who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. This work has created a new vocabulary that changes not only how we speak about incarcerated women, but also provides moral clarity about how with think about restorative justice. |
|
As a visionary leader, Tonie’s advocacy supports access to transitional housing for family reunification. This has been a priority especially when as many as 60 percent of incarcerated women are mothers. Her work at Ardella’s House provides assistance to over 800 women and their families annually and offers a continuum of care in the areas of employment, housing, family, health and wellbeing, and criminal justice compliance. She is also the brainchild behind “Life Interrupted,” a 12-week program to help women plan a productive post-incarceration life.
Tonie is no stranger to the hurdles that formerly incarcerated women face when they are released. As someone with lived experience, she knows that it takes support systems to get one’s live back on track after incarceration. Tonie’s own story of incarceration began over 30 years ago when she was incarcerated on drug charges. Following her release, she has never looked back. Ardella’s House is a beacon of light for women. Through the programs at Ardella’s House, women learn to be their own advocates. Of her experience she says, “being incarcerated is probably the lowest point in your life, when you’re stripped of everything and you become a number and treated like a caged animal, but many animals are treated far better than incarcerated women.” Tonie inspires women to overcome the stigma of incarceration and to reach higher heights.
Over the years Tonie has received many honors including being selected as a “Game Changer” by CBS and has been honored by City Council for her compassionate advocacy for women. In 2016, Tonie was appointed by Mayor James Kenney to serve on the Philadelphia Commission for Women https://www.phila.gov/departments/mayors-office-of-engagement-for-women/philadelphia-commission-for-women where she continues her advocacy on behalf of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been a leader in providing resources to women released from jails and prisons by providing food, masks, transportation, and housing referrals.
Tonie was recently appointed to the board of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment Opportunity https://www.phila.gov/2021-02-01-ceo-announces-the-appointment-of-13-new-board-members/ where she elevates the economic and employment needs of formerly incarcerated women. She is a former member of the Parole and Probation Advisory Board, serves on the Incarcerated Women’s Working Group on behalf of the rights of incarcerated women, and is a member of the Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.
Dedicated to her late mother, Ardella Willis, Ardella’s House is a place with a purpose to bring hope, lift women’s spirits, and foster dignity for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. This was Ardella’s life’s work and now, it has become Tonie’s life’s work too.
Tonie is no stranger to the hurdles that formerly incarcerated women face when they are released. As someone with lived experience, she knows that it takes support systems to get one’s live back on track after incarceration. Tonie’s own story of incarceration began over 30 years ago when she was incarcerated on drug charges. Following her release, she has never looked back. Ardella’s House is a beacon of light for women. Through the programs at Ardella’s House, women learn to be their own advocates. Of her experience she says, “being incarcerated is probably the lowest point in your life, when you’re stripped of everything and you become a number and treated like a caged animal, but many animals are treated far better than incarcerated women.” Tonie inspires women to overcome the stigma of incarceration and to reach higher heights.
Over the years Tonie has received many honors including being selected as a “Game Changer” by CBS and has been honored by City Council for her compassionate advocacy for women. In 2016, Tonie was appointed by Mayor James Kenney to serve on the Philadelphia Commission for Women https://www.phila.gov/departments/mayors-office-of-engagement-for-women/philadelphia-commission-for-women where she continues her advocacy on behalf of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been a leader in providing resources to women released from jails and prisons by providing food, masks, transportation, and housing referrals.
Tonie was recently appointed to the board of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment Opportunity https://www.phila.gov/2021-02-01-ceo-announces-the-appointment-of-13-new-board-members/ where she elevates the economic and employment needs of formerly incarcerated women. She is a former member of the Parole and Probation Advisory Board, serves on the Incarcerated Women’s Working Group on behalf of the rights of incarcerated women, and is a member of the Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.
Dedicated to her late mother, Ardella Willis, Ardella’s House is a place with a purpose to bring hope, lift women’s spirits, and foster dignity for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. This was Ardella’s life’s work and now, it has become Tonie’s life’s work too.