About

I’m Thomas DeGarmeaux, founder of Grace For Addictions. My reasons for doing this work are personal. I’ve lived with addiction and mental health challenges, and I know what it means to rebuild a life after incarceration.

For years, I was caught in a cycle I couldn’t seem to break. Support, practical tools, and the work of recovery helped me find a way forward. That experience shaped my commitment to walk alongside other people finding theirs.

I don’t believe a person’s hardest chapter gets to write the rest of their story. Your history matters. It can explain where you’ve been without deciding everywhere you’re allowed to go. That conviction is at the heart of Grace For Addictions.

Thomas DeGarmeaux (Iowa's State Capital)

Losing my best friend to the opioid epidemic strengthened my resolve to build something that made support easier to reach. I knew the isolation that can come with addiction and mental health struggles. I also knew how much it mattered to have people beside me. Grace For Addictions grew from that experience.

For me, grace belongs in the practical details: how we listen, how we respond when someone is struggling, and whether we make room for them to try again. Accountability matters. So does remembering that a person’s worth is never on probation.

Today, Grace For Addictions is a peer-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Des Moines. We offer free, nonclinical recovery support, coaching, community connection, and resource navigation. People bring different beliefs, backgrounds, and paths to recovery. There is room for that here.

You don’t need a polished explanation to reach out. Start with what you need today. Use Contact Connect below, and let’s find the next step together.