Aletheia House

Our Mission:
To promote the health and well-being of individuals and communities by providing high quality, low cost services with a special kind of caring.

Our History:
Aletheia House is a community-based organization that has been providing low-cost substance abuse treatment and prevention services to individuals, and the communities in which they live, since 1972. It is one of Alabama’s largest providers of substance abuse treatment, substance abuse/HIV prevention, employment services, health care and affordable housing.

The organization was founded by a group of dedicated volunteers to address the needs of teens who were living on the streets in Birmingham, Alabama. They selected the name Aletheia because it means “truth” or “to be truthful with yourself.”

The agency’s current Executive Director, Chris Retan, was hired in 1978. The Chief Operating Officer, Gloria Howard, joined the organization in 1991.

Aletheia House has received national and regional recognition for its programs including the Maxwell Award of Excellence from the Fannie Mae Foundation, the John J. Gunther Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Certificate of Special Recognition from the Federal Housing Commissioner, and the Partnership Excellence Award from the Federal Home Loan Bank.