Respect for the person
A person's value is not defined by a diagnosis, a record or a job title. People are treated as capable adults making a hard choice.
About Hard Won
Nothing worth having
comes easy.
Hard Won is a nonprofit in formation bringing sober living, a planned intensive outpatient program and vocational training into one plan for people rebuilding their lives in the St. Louis region.
The reason behind it
Lived experience.
Practical purpose.
Hard Won grew out of personal experience with recovery and years spent building healthcare organizations.
Both taught the same lesson. Determination matters, but determination alone is fragile. What makes it durable are the conditions around a person: a steady place to live, treatment that fits, work that means something and people to turn to when it gets hard.
Most of the system treats those things separately. Housing in one place, treatment in another, job training somewhere else, each with its own waiting list. Hard Won exists to connect them, so that rebuilding a life does not mean navigating every barrier alone.
The name is the philosophy. Recovery is not given. It is earned, one ordinary day at a time, and what is earned holds.
I know what it's like to start over with not much more than a decision. What got me through was a place to live, work to do and people who didn't give up on me. Hard Won is how I build that for the next person.
Daniel OrlovFounder and Executive Director
What guides the work
Respect. Structure.
Opportunity.
Clear expectations
People should know exactly what a program asks of them and what it will provide. No surprises, no fine print.
Work as part of recovery
Meaningful work builds purpose, routine and self-respect. It belongs inside the recovery plan, not after it.
Many paths
Twelve-step, faith-based, clinical, medication-assisted, harm reduction and other recognized approaches all have a place. We support the one a person chooses.
The road ahead
Build the foundation.
Then connect the care.
Sober living comes first. Next is a planned intensive outpatient program, then vocational training in the trades. Clinical services will be announced when they are licensed and ready.
This website does not currently offer IOP admission or housing applications. Hard Won Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit in formation. We will apply to the IRS for 501(c)(3) status. Gifts are not tax-deductible at this time.
Hard Won does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or arrest or conviction record.
Ask about the plan