When Casey opened the door to her new apartment, her heart was racing. She had been dreaming of this moment for over a year. After 14 long months in a shelter, she was finally ready to show her 4-year-old son Josiah the surprise that would change both of their lives.
But nothing could have prepared her for his innocent reaction, or the viral wave of love that would follow.
“My child and I have been at an amazing homeless shelter for 14 months,” Casey said in a TikTok video that quickly captured hearts worldwide. “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.”
The video shows Josiah, wide-eyed and stunned, counting aloud as they reached their door. “4, 5, 6…” he said before walking inside, unaware that there was more than just a single room. “That was a gut punch in the stomach,” Casey shared. “I don’t think he ever minded just having one room.”
It’s a moment that reflects a much deeper story, of love, of resilience, and of a mother doing everything she can to give her son a better life.
“I have epilepsy. I can’t drive. I couldn’t buy diapers or even get him to doctor’s appointments,” Casey said, explaining how she struggled after Josiah’s father left when he was a baby. She eventually found hope at Claire House, a shelter that would become her safe haven, twice.
Her first stay there lasted 10 months. She left, found an apartment, and gave things another try with Josiah’s father. But when those plans fell apart, Casey returned to survival mode and rejoined the waitlist. She wasn’t about to let her son’s story end in instability.
Claire House gave her more than shelter. “Sometimes I just sat there and cried,” Casey said of her case meetings. “They would tell me how much I had accomplished and how proud they were of me.” She credits the staff with helping her stay grounded through the toughest moments. “There was a time it was the middle of the night. My son was with his dad, and I started panicking. They opened the doors so I could get fresh air.”
So when she finally got the keys to her own place, Casey said she couldn’t wait to pick Josiah up from daycare, hand him a Happy Meal, and show him their new beginning.
The first week was filled with small joys: DVDs on a portable player, dinner on a cardboard box, and watching Josiah toss toys against the wall with delight. He was cautious at first, hesitant to sleep in his own room, still unsure if the doors in their home really belonged to them. “He was so used to sleeping next to me,” she said. “He’s a very grateful child.”
Casey was soon flooded with messages from strangers who had seen the video. “Tons have asked for a tour, a video tour,” she said. Others wanted to help, asking what they could send for Josiah. Many reached out with their own stories or seeking guidance. “The inbox was, ‘How can I do this?’” she said. “Which was difficult, because I want to help, but every situation is different.”
She also encountered harmful assumptions. “A lot of people assume that because you’re homeless, you must have some addiction issue or felonies,” she said. “But sometimes things just happen. And sometimes homelessness is actually a step up from where you were.”
Now, Casey said her dream is to one day buy a house. “I want something that I can pass down to my son so he won’t have to worry about a mortgage,” she said. “Even if times get hard, he’ll have a roof over his head.”
She’s launched a GoFundMe with that goal in mind, hoping to build a future where Josiah will always feel safe, and always feel home.
To other parents navigating uncertainty, Casey offers a simple message: “Healing isn’t linear,” she says. “Just because something happened doesn’t mean it’s anyone’s fault. And beating yourself up over it won’t change that.”
Though she doesn’t always feel deserving of the praise, the world sees what she might not: a devoted mother doing everything she can to build a life of joy and stability for her child.
@autumpoetry Just looking back on how far my little guy and I have come. #fyp ♬ cardigan – Taylor Swift
“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 said. “But I’m working on it.”
And Josiah? He’s already made himself right at home, counting steps, making toys from socks and Legos, and decorating a Christmas tree in a space all his own.
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