Monday, August 24^th DePaul Center and A New Way of Life will open ‘Villa La Tournelle’, a safe house for formerly incarcerated women returning to society.  The ‘villa’ is the ‘former convent’ located on the campus of DePaul Evangelization Center in Montebello. With the approval and blessing of former provincial, Fr. Ray Van Dorpe, and the new provincial, Fr. Pat McDevitt, the convent was leased to A New Way of Life (ANWOL) for its use as a safe house through the end of December of 2021.

The opening of the villa is the first phase of a larger collaborative initiative being organized by DePaul Center, ANWOL, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Los Angeles and the archdiocese’s Office of Restorative Justice to set up a holistic reentry program for formerly incarcerated men and women returning to society.

Twice a month for the last four years I’ve been celebrating Mass for incarcerated women in the LA County women’s jail in Lynwood, CA. The facility houses more than 2000 inmates and is said to be the largest women’s jail/prison in the country.  Some say in the world. In my short time working there I’ve gotten to know something of the hardships and struggles that many of the women endure while incarcerated and the many obstacles and challenges that await them upon returning to society.  The presence of which almost assures most will be recycled through the criminal justice system.

This past December I invited some of the other chaplains I work at the jail  along with David Garcia, executive director of the SSVDP-LA to come together to explore how we might work together to organize a reentry program to serve this population.  Shortly after we began meetings our little group learned of the work that ANWOL was doing in this area and asked them to give us some advice and guidance.  Not only did they agree to help they agreed to partner with us to implement a program.

ANWOL is a non-profit organization founded in South Los Angeles in 1988 by Susan Burton and has provided transitional housing and support services to more than 1200 formerly incarcerated women and their children.  Susan is the founder and president of ANWOL.  Chapters of her personal story echo the experiences of the lives of many of the women she now strives to help.  At 4 years of age she was rape by the friend of her family.  At 14, she had a baby girl, the result of a gang rape.  Later in life when her 5-year old son was tragically, but accidentally, killed by an off-duty police officer her life descended into complete chaos.  She turned to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate.  She fell under the control of a violent pimp and began cycling through jails, prisons, addiction and crime for 20 years.

Her cycle in prison ended only after she chanced into a drug treatment program in Santa Monica—a facility that mostly served affluent clientele an option typically beyond the reach of poor black women living in South LA like Susan.  A 100-day stint there helped turn her life around.  The woman who emerged from the program vowed to dedicate her life to helping others.  When she emerged on the other side, she vowed to help other women trapped in the cycle of abuse to find a new way of life.  Twenty two years ago after scrapping together her life’s savings she purchased a house and welcomed the first of many returning women to live with her, she became a pioneer for creating safe, healing and supportive home for returning women to come to rebuild their lives.  Her life story is testimony to the human capacity for resilience, recovery and redemption.

In short order Susan was able to secure grants to refit the ‘tired old convent’— fresh coat of paint, new flooring, welcoming furnishing— to create a safe, healing and welcoming space for up to nine women to make their temporary home as they  prepare to transition to permanent housing.  Villa La Tournelle will be the 10^th safe house in Los Angeles County established and run by ANWOL.

LA Vincentian Family Collaborative Initiative

The villa is the Western Province’s contribution to the “13-House Campaign” initiated by the International Leadership of the  Vincentian Family in 2018. The campaign was inspired by the houses Vincent had built for poor youth in France during the 1600’s. Vincent’s work was collaborative and the current ‘13 Houses Campaign’ is meant to be collaborative in nature as well.

The villa is named for the building ‘La Tournelle’ that Vincent de Paul rented in the city of Marseilles, France to house the convicts condemned to service on the French Galleys. In his article “Vincent de Paul and the Galleys of France” John Rybolt noted that “…In 1619, six years before the foundation of the Congregation of the Mission, Louis XIII appointed Vincent de Paul “Royal Chaplain of the Galleys of France.”  He continued in this responsibility until the last years of his life.”   In speaking of Vincent’s ongoing concerns for the condemned men under his care , John added “Vincent secured regular help from some of his many assistant priest to care sacramentally for the prisoners, especially when the time approached for their departure to the galleys themselves.  He encouraged the members of the parish Confraternity of Charity to help as well, primarily mature women who could provide kindness and the small necessities of life.”

Urgency for housing for formerly incarcerated women.

Women are the fastest growing segment of the criminally justice system and nationally, 1.9 million women are being released from incarceration every year.  Most of these women leave incarceration without resources and meaningful connections in the communities to which they are returning.

In Los Angeles County, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are experiencing some of the most challenging times in recent history.  Due to the pandemic, more and more women are being released from incarceration—some in the middle of the night with little to no help and no place to go.  Now more than ever, reentry support is needed for women being released to communities recovering from despair and destruction.

I am filled with joy that this ministry of compassion that was so dear to the heart of founder will experience a new incarnation here at DePaul Center.

By: Fr. Perry Henry, CM