Mrs. Hattie Smith-Miles was born in Tallulah, Louisiana.  In 1948, her family moved to California.  Mrs. Miles attended elementary school and high school in Vallejo, Calif.  Mrs. Miles is the mother of eight (8) children, of which two have passed away.  Mrs. Miles was married to the love of her life, Robert B. Miles for 35 years until his death in 2001.

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Mrs. Miles has been an active member of Revival Center Ministries for the past 35 years.  Mrs. Miles serves on the Deaconess Board and other auxiliaries in the ministry.

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It was while working at a law office that Mrs. Miles became a visionary and social innovator for the city of Vallejo.  She returned to school to become a paralegal, and also saw the need for services for individuals suffering from substance abuse.  Mrs. Miles started the clean and sober facility — House of Acts — in her home in 1987.  Mrs. Miles realized that she needed to be licensed in order to receive additional resources/services and contracts from the County of Solano.  The House of Acts became licensed in 1989.  From there, she received her first contact with the County.  That same year, Mrs. Miles also ran for Vallejo City Council.  Her platform — "Person for the People" — expressed the need for substance abuse treatment programs in Vallejo.

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Mrs. Miles became a pioneer in the County's movement to advocate substance abuse recovery.  She has participated in numerous programs geared toward health and wellness, empowerment, and community enrichment.
 

The House of Acts Substance Abuse Treatment Program, from small beginnings is now much admired as one of the County's leading providers in substance abuse treatment/recovery and supportive aftercare services. Her steadfast leadership and collaborative efforts have helped bring numerous individuals to reunite with their families and to lead a clean and sober lifestyle.

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As a recognized business and community leader, Mrs. Miles's experience ranges from developing, to executing, to managing community enrichment strategies.  Mrs. Miles has proven that she is able to thrive in adverse, ambiguous, and highly structured environments.  To also maintain her stance as a "person for the people", she consistently generates results through compassion, taking a practical approach to execution, being heavily involved in community outreach, and having an engaging leadership lifestyle.

 

Mrs. Miles credits all of her accomplishments to her spirituality and her faith and belief in God.  The House of Acts, Inc. is based on the biblical principles; the name is from the scripture in the book of Acts 26:18.

 

"To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and

from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and

a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."  

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Professional Experience

• House of Acts, Inc. — Vallejo, Calif.

• Position:  Founder & Program Director

• Industry:  Health & Wellness, Human Services, Residential Recovery Oriented System of Care, Recovery Support Services

• 1989 - Present

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Education

• Clayton University

• Diablo Valley College

• Mediation Services of Solano County

• Sonoma State University

• University of California, Davis

• Walden Institute

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Certifications & Core Competencies

• Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor

• Substance Abuse Specialist

• Addiction Training

• Paralegal

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Featured Memberships

​(For over 40 years Mrs. Miles has served on numerous boards and organizations, which address social and community concerns.)

• Black Women Organized for Political Action — Solano/Napa Chapter 

• NAACP — Vallejo Branch

• South Vallejo Association

• The Links, Incorporated — Solano/Napa Chapter 

• Vallejo Neighborhood Housing Service

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Featured Awards & Certificates

• National Council of Negro Women
  "Women In Action" Award

• City of Vallejo — Mayor Anthony Intintoli
  "Demonstration of Humanitarian Leadership" Certificate of Recognition

• SafeQuest Solano, Inc. (Solano County Battered Women)
  "Appreciation" Award

• Workforce Development Board of Solano County (Solano County Private Industry Council)
  "Outstanding Supervision" Award

• Touro University
  "Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian" Certificate of Recognition as Nominee

• Dorothy Richardson 
  "Honorary Recognition Leadership" Award

• Fighting Back Partnership
  "Certificate of Appreciation"Award

• NAACP — Vallejo Branch
  "Lifetime Achievement" Award

• Salvation Army
  "Community Service" Award

• San Quentin State Prison
  "People of Positive Action" Warden's Recognition Award

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Quotes by Hattie Smith-Miles

"You can't just sit and talk about the problems in the world unless you try to do something about it.  And this is why I remain a person for the people".

 

"In 1989, 17 people were killed in the city and 16 of them were because of drugs. I t was really bad around here, and I thought I needed to do something to help my neighborhood.  The spirit of the Lord came over to me after I read that passage, and said you will do this and call it the House of Acts."

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"I would have to go out to the men leaning on my fence and say, 'Young man, you can't deal drugs here today.  You have to move on.'"

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"This is what church is all about! They give support to the young men and women by giving them something positive in their lives."

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"It is important to recognize the difference between men and women and their needs during the recovery process.  Men bring more of a dynamic from being out there.  A lot of the men at House of  Acts have been in prison or in gangs, a lot have abused their families.  The women are generally softer spirits and many have suffered domestic abuse or had other kinds of family problems."

 

"It's a completely different person when someone is on drugs.  That's not their daughter, or son, or husband or wife.  The real person - the person in recovery, can be unrecognizable."

 

"I would hear the men talk about their wives or girlfriends who were also abusing drugs and needing help, and I saw the need for me to open up a women's home."

 

"I make sure that all counselors, including myself, give them that love and connection — that life is worth living and you don't have to live in that dangerous way."