After son’s overdose death, Delaware couple led fight against addiction for 13 years

The accolades

One of the organization’s earliest priorities was creating stable housing for people in recovery.

“We felt that we needed some place for folks in recovery to go, to live, and so that they could [live] in a drug-free situation where they could recover. So, we felt it was important to try to get some housing,” he said. “At first, we rented some properties and got folks into them. Then gradually, we were able to get our own houses so that they could have a place to live and we could support them in that way.”

Over time, atTAcK Addiction moved from renting properties to owning them. At its peak, the organization owned five recovery homes across Delaware. Recently, two of those homes were transferred to Impact Life, a nonprofit partner that continues to provide recovery housing and services.

But housing was only one part of the Keisters’ mission.

From the beginning, advocacy and policy reform were central to their work. Keister said atTAcK Addiction helped pass or support more than 10 pieces of legislation focused on addiction and recovery.

“We really were concentrating on policy,” he said. “The very first one, we all went to Dover to talk to whoever would listen regarding the 9/11 Good Samaritan law.”

The law protects people from arrest when they call for help during an overdose.

Similarly, Keister is proud of his efforts to pass the naloxone bill in Delaware, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

“Another one was the naloxone bill. We were about the 17th state to have naloxone available to individuals … it has made a difference,” he said. “It is something that reverses opioids and it is something that has saved a lot of lives.”

In addition to legislative work, the nonprofit focused on community outreach. The organization hosts and attends events across the state to reduce stigma surrounding substance use disorder. It also helped push for the nation’s first Opioid Impact Fee Fund legislation, which provides direct funding for treatment and recovery in Delaware.

Each year, the nonprofit also hosts an annual 5K on the first Saturday in March in Old New Castle — around Tyler Keister’s birthday — to honor loved ones lost to addiction and celebrate those in recovery.

Since atTAcK Addiction was founded in 2013, more than 4,500 people in Delaware have died from overdoses. However, recent data shows signs of progress. In 2024, the state recorded its first major decline in overdose deaths in more than a decade, dropping from 527 deaths in 2023 to 338 in 2024.