Who We Are

About Us

The Nexus Foundation, Inc.

The Nexus Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization Based in the state of New Jersey which was established in October 2019. The Nexus Foundation, Inc. provides safe, secure housing to women recovering from substance abuse. In the tradition of the “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes housing as a basic need that must be addressed before people can focus on staying sober, we provide transitional and long-term housing and other supportive services to women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide women recovering from addiction with housing and supportive services on their journey to independence.

A stable home is the foundation for a flourishing family and building a future. For women in recovery, secure housing is fundamental to reestablishing a viable life. Additionally, supportive services geared towards health and well-being, financial stability, education, and career building, serve to further establish a firm foundation on which to build.
Residential treatment for women requires addressing the unique challenges that women in recovery often face:

Founder's Story

In 2006, Nexus Foundation founder Dwight Anderson was traveling frequently from New York to Raleigh, NC to spend time with family. It soon made sense to him to buy a house there. Over the next decade, he invested in other properties in Raleigh and Charlotte, usually in distressed areas with an eye to rehabilitation of the home and the community. Dwight saw the life situations of many in the communities where he invested and chose to address the barriers to housing stability for underserved members of the community.  North Carolina surpassed the national average of substance abuse disorders related to opioid use.

The impediments to sobriety were the same although the substances had shifted. In addition to alcohol, heroin and cocaine, the substances of choice were now opioids, benzodiazepine, fentanyl and methamphetamine. What was once an urban dilemma had now expanded to suburban and rural counties in North Carolina and other parts of the country. Substance abuse was impacting men and women from all racial and ethnic communities and of varying economic status.

Dwight’s acumen in housing investment and rehabilitation moved him to pursue establishing transitional and long-term residential facilities (known as sober homes) for women in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. By 2017, he was ready to put in motion more concerted service to the community. He enlisted Tom Hamilton to blend their mutual experience and passion for community service to take the Nexus Foundation initiative forward. Tom came from the same community in Queens, NY as Dwight and had lived and worked in Charlotte for a number of years. Tom had experience in operating sober homes in New York City and in Charlotte, after having worked many years in substance abuse and street-based AIDS intervention. After successfully running a restaurant business in Charlotte, Tom returned to the addiction recovery field in late 2010.

Paula Howell Anderson joined the Nexus Foundation to provide vision and strategy, especially as it addresses the particular challenges faced by women in recovery. As a corporate lawyer who has long championed women’s rights, she brings to the initiative an insight into implicit bias: seemingly neutral laws and social policies that actually affect women adversely.

Nexus opened its first transitional sober residence in Mecklenburg County in North Carolina for women without child custody in 2020. Its resident population is racially and socio-economically diverse women ranging in age from 23 to 62.

Ann Black House

The five-bed residence has been named the Ann Black House, to honor a tireless advocate for residential recovery services for women. A nurse by training, Ann Black spent most of her career working in methadone maintenance. Her life ended at age 60 before realizing her vision to establish a residential recovery home for women. She often spoke of how the women she encountered lost hope and a sense of purpose for their lives. She envisioned them being supported in a safe, loving environment.

Ann Black ( Late )

Our Executive Members

Paula H. Anderson

President

Dwight Anderson

 Vice President

Thomas P. Hamilton

Executive Director