Andrea Arens is a Special Education Teacher at Nexus Family Healings’ Safe Harbor School in Manteno, IL, teaching Functional Academics, or Independent Living Skills, to her students. Skills that would normally be taught by family, friends, or in a public school.

Araya’s journey was marked by turbulence before she found support at Nexus Family Healing’s Gerard campus. At 15, she felt lost in a deep sense of despair, her life stripped of meaning. Moving between foster homes and enduring multiple hospitalizations for self-harm and suicide attempts only deepened her struggle.

A recent grant from the Thielen Foundation funded some major improvements at Nexus Family Healing campus in Austin, MN, such as refurbishing their baseball field and recreation room, and adding a new playground. This grant also provided the ability to create and support a new Recreational Coordinator position.

The first time Nexus Family Healing Foster and Adoptive Parent Cherie and her family met their social worker, Michaela, they were immediately disarmed by her cheerful smile and genuine demeanor. 

When Tamara and Adam Peters began fostering in June of 2020, they were looking at starting a family and options available to them. With no family history of fostering, they contacted Nexus Family Healing in Fargo, ND and talked to a Recruitment & Licensing Social Worker.

A partnership with Beyond The Natural Foundation teaches Nexus-Woodbourne youth music production, composition, and studio time to help youth on their healing journey.

In 2023, North Dakota proclaimed October to be “Foster Youth Voice Month”. Take a look at how lived experts Char, Alexis, Olivia, and Kalista joined the The North Dakota Youth Advisory Association (NDYAA) Leadership Board to raise community awareness around foster care and independent living programs.

Music has been proven to be a healthy coping mechanism. Take a look at how the Illinois Summer Youth Music (ISYM) program helped two youth from Nexus Family Healing's Onarga campus, Jaylin and DeAndre, learn more about their passions in music while also helping them find a healthy outlet to express their emotions and cope with negative feelings.

Phillip shares how the Southeast Regional Crisis Center, operated by Nexus Family Healing, helped him during his mental health crisis and changed his life.