The Red Tent Women's Initiative

Mission: Providing incarcerated women skills to heal and improve their lives through trauma informed programs.

A message from our founder, Barbara Rhode:

In 2007, I was asked to assist with a work release/court-ordered drug treatment facility which was suddenly experiencing difficulty dealing with a sudden increase in the number of women inmates. I ended up working there for 5 years; teaching Life-Skills, providing Staff Trainings and completing Mental Health Assessments on the residents. Most of the women there had young children who would visit if they were fortunate enough to live close by or had relatives who were willing and able to bring them in. Approximately 80% of the women incarcerated in jail or prison have had to leave behind young children when sentenced. If no relative or friend steps in to help out, the state temporarily takes over mom’s parental rights. In order to regain custody, these women have to beat almost insurmountable odds by securing adequate housing and finding jobs that will provide food and shelter for them & their children as soon as they are released.

At this point in time, The Red Tent Women’s Initiative provides classes 3 days a week in our local, Pinellas County jail where female inmates come together to learn new skills, create art, benefit from guest speakers who share their wisdom; and in other words “tend & befriend”. In 2017, we collaborated with Pinellas Technical College allowing our instructor to open educational doors to the women who participate in jail while still incarcerated and upon release. The St. Petersburg Free Clinic, in collaboration with Red Tent, has generously provided a Clothing & Accessory Boutique for any woman in need to shop for free at their beautiful Baldwin Residence in St. Pete. We purchase bus passes through the PSTA Disadvantaged Program for any participant in need of transportation before she is released.