Mom Surprises Her Son with Their First Apartment After 14 Months in a Shelter, and His Reaction Goes Viral (Exclusive)

Yahoo

10-07-2025

After 14 months in a shelter, Casey surprised her son with their first apartment — and his stunned reaction went viral
The little boy didn't realize their new home had more than one room, leaving his mom in tears
Now, Casey hopes to buy a house one day — so her son will always have a place to call homeWhen Casey opened the door to her new apartment, her heart was racing. After 14 months in a homeless shelter with her young son, she was finally ready to show him the surprise she had been dreaming about for months — and his innocent reaction would soon touch millions of people across the world.
'My son's name is Josiah. He will be 5 in August,' she tells PEOPLE, smiling as she describes her wide-eyed little boy, who finds joy in the simplest things like balloons and makeshift toys crafted from socks and Legos.
Casey never imagined that a simple video of Josiah's wonder would go viral. In her TikTok post, she wrote, 'My child and I have been at an amazing homeless shelter for 14 months. Watch his reaction to seeing our new apartment for the first time. I had to encourage him to look around more a few times because he didn't know there was so much more to see than one room.'
Before she arrived at Claire House, the shelter that became their safe haven, Casey had faced setbacks that would test any parent's strength. She candidly shares that after her son's father left when Josiah was just a baby, she struggled to manage life on her own.
'I have epilepsy. I can't drive. I couldn't buy diapers or even get him to doctor's appointments,' she tells PEOPLE, recalling the overwhelming challenges she faced in those early days.
Eventually, her sister offered her a temporary place to stay while she waited for a spot at Claire House. That wait led to her first stay there, which lasted 10 months, ending with her moving into an apartment and finding hope for a fresh start.
But life, as it often does, had other plans. 'He wanted me to be a stay-at-home mom and things were good for a few months,' Casey says of her son's father, noting that she gave up her apartment and job in hopes of building a family together again.
When those plans unraveled, Casey found herself back in survival mode, rejoining the waitlist for Claire House. She was determined not to let her son's story end in instability.
Moving into their new apartment marked a moment Casey says she will never forget. 'I remember feeling shaky,' she tells PEOPLE, describing the day she packed up her belongings with the help of a shelter staff member, picked Josiah up from daycare and handed him a Happy Meal as a little celebration.
She had been telling Josiah for weeks that they were moving soon, though she wasn't sure if he fully understood what it meant. 'He has a provisional autism diagnosis right now. He struggles with comprehension,' she says, explaining why she wasn't sure how much he grasped.
As they walked to the new apartment, Casey could barely contain her excitement. 'Do you want to see your new home?' she recalls asking him, her voice filled with anticipation.
His reaction was pure, unfiltered magic. 'His eyes just got really wide and he said yes,' she says. 'Then he started counting. We're in the elevator and I was like, are you excited? He's like, 'Yes.' '
When they reached their door, Josiah paused and began counting aloud — '4, 5, 6' — before the video began rolling. It was a moment of disbelief and excitement all at once.
What struck Casey most was how Josiah didn't seem to realize that there could be more than one room just for them. 'That was a gut punch in the stomach,' she says softly. 'I don't think he ever minded just having one room.'
Even after they settled into the apartment, it took Josiah months before he felt comfortable sleeping in his own room. 'He was so used to sleeping next to me,' Casey says, sharing that he remained hesitant, unsure whether the other doors in their home really belonged to them.
'He's a very grateful child,' she adds with pride. 'He's not a child who, if they were disappointed, would've had a tantrum or anything. I think he kind of had that reaction because he was confused.'
The video quickly struck a chord with viewers worldwide, drawing millions of views and thousands of messages. Casey was inundated with people reaching out.
'I had a lot of people messaging me, asking me if they could send something to him,' she tells PEOPLE. 'Tons have asked for a tour, a video tour.'
Others reached out looking for advice on how to navigate their own journeys with homelessness or financial instability. 'The inbox was, 'How can I do this?' ' Casey says. 'Which was difficult, because I want to help, but every situation is different.'
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She also encountered misconceptions about her story. 'A lot of people assume that because you're homeless, you must have some addiction issue or felonies,' she says, frustration in her voice. 'But from the people I've met, sometimes things just happen. And sometimes homelessness is actually a step up from where you were.'
For Casey, having her own apartment means far more than just having a roof over their heads. 'I would say safe is the closest word, but I don't know if that's the right word,' she says thoughtfully.
Though she always felt secure at Claire House, this new apartment brought something different. 'I knew that I had made it and that we would be okay,' she says. 'As long as I do what I need to do, my son's not even going to remember it.'
The first week in their new home was filled with simple, joyful moments. Casey remembers ordering furniture and watching it slowly arrive. 'While that was arriving, he was just running around and throwing toys at the wall,' she says with a laugh.
Without Internet, they made do with a portable DVD player, watching Finding Nemo every night and eating dinner on a box. 'That was the nightly thing,' Casey says.
Staying hopeful during those hard months wasn't easy, but Casey credits the staff at Claire House for their unwavering support. She shares how they opened doors — both literally and figuratively — when she needed help the most.
'There was a time it was the middle of the night. My son was with his dad, and I started panicking,' she recalls. The staff unlocked the doors so she could get fresh air and clear her mind.
Her weekly case meetings often became something more. 'Sometimes I just sat there and cried,' she says. 'They would tell me how much I had accomplished and how proud they were of me.'
Outside of Claire House, Casey leaned on childcare assistance, her family and her best friend for support. 'Having a community is so special,' she says with gratitude.
The experience has forever changed how she views stability and home. 'Things aren't as black and white as they used to be,' she says, reflecting on the lessons she's learned.
Casey's dream for the future is beautifully simple — and profound. 'The only thing I'm set on right now is getting a house,' she says, explaining how she hopes to give Josiah the stability she lacked growing up.
'I want something that I can pass down to my son so he won't have to worry about a mortgage,' she says. 'Even if times get hard, he'll have a roof over his head.'
Casey recently launched a GoFundMe after receiving an outpouring of support, sharing that her biggest hope is to someday buy a modest home where her son will always have a safe place to land.
To others facing similar challenges, Casey offers heartfelt advice. 'Healing isn't linear,' she says firmly. 'Sometimes the process looks different for everyone.'
She urges parents to prioritize their family's wellbeing over chasing higher-paying jobs that may pull them away from their children. 'Sometimes the job that pays less is better for your mental health and family time,' she says.
Above all, Casey hopes her story helps others release guilt about their struggles. 'Just because something happened doesn't mean it's anyone's fault,' she says. 'Sometimes things just happen, and beating yourself up over it won't change that.'
Though she admits she doesn't always feel deserving of the praise she's received, others see something different — a mother's fierce love and quiet resilience.
'Everyone's congratulating me, and I don't feel like I should be congratulated for picking up the pieces of the mess I made,' Casey says. 'But I'm working on it.'
Read the original article on People