Mom surprises her son with their first apartment after 14 months in a shelter and his reaction goes viral

After 14 long months in a shelter, Casey finally opened the door to a new life and captured a moment that would touch millions.


 Casey recently moved into their first apartment with her 4-year-old son, Josiah. and his stunned reaction, caught on video, quickly went viral on TikTok.

 

“My son’s name is Josiah. He’ll be five in August,” Casey says, smiling as she describes her wide-eyed boy who finds joy in simple things like balloons, socks, and Legos.
 

She captioned the viral video: “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 because he didn’t know there was more than one room.”

 

Before finding refuge at Claire House, the shelter that became their lifeline, Casey’s life was unraveling. When Josiah’s father left while he was still a baby, she struggled to keep up.

“I have epilepsy. I can’t drive. I couldn’t buy diapers or even get him to doctor’s appointments,” she says.

 

Her sister took them in until a spot opened at Claire House, where they stayed for 10 months before moving into an apartment. But when Casey tried to rebuild a life with Josiah’s father, she gave up her job and home only for the relationship to fall apart again.


Once more, she found herself starting over, returning to Claire House.


Moving into their new apartment marked a milestone she’ll never forget. Casey describes feeling shaky as she picked up Josiah from daycare, handed him a Happy Meal, and walked him to their new home.
 

“He has a provisional autism diagnosis and struggles with comprehension,” she says. “I wasn’t sure if he really understood what moving meant.”
 

When they got to the building, Josiah’s eyes widened. In the elevator, he started counting. “Are you excited?” Casey asked. “Yes,” he whispered.



Outside their door, he counted again — “4, 5, 6” — before stepping into the apartment.



What struck Casey most was that Josiah didn’t seem to realize their new home had more than one room. “That was a gut punch,” she says. “I don’t think he ever minded just having one room.”


It even took him months to feel comfortable sleeping alone. “He was so used to being next to me, he was unsure if the other rooms were really ours,” she explains.


 “He’s not the kind of kid who’d have a tantrum if he was disappointed. I think he was just confused.”


The video of Josiah’s pure joy reached millions. “So many people messaged me wanting to send something to him or asking for a tour,” Casey says. Others shared their own stories of homelessness, seeking advice.


She also faced painful assumptions. “A lot of people think if you’re homeless, it’s because of addiction or crime. But sometimes, homelessness is actually a step up from where you were,” she says.


Their first weeks in the apartment were filled with little victories. Furniture slowly arrived. Josiah ran around throwing toys at the wall. Without internet, they watched Finding Nemo every night on a portable DVD player, eating dinner on a box.


Through it all, Casey leaned on the shelter staff, who were more like family. “Sometimes I just sat there and cried. They’d tell me how proud they were of me,” she says.


Now, Casey dreams of buying a house one day. “I want something I can pass down so my son never has to worry about a mortgage. Even if times get hard, he’ll have a roof over his head.”


She recently started a GoFundMe after an outpouring of support.


To others facing struggles, Casey offers this gentle reminder: “Healing isn’t linear. Sometimes the job that pays less is better for your mental health and family time. And just because something happened doesn’t mean it’s your fault. Beating yourself up won’t change it.”


As for the praise she’s received? Casey doesn’t always feel she deserves it. “Everyone’s congratulating me, but I don’t feel like I should be congratulated for picking up the pieces of a mess I made. But I’m working on it.”


And through it all, her quiet strength and her love for Josiah speak louder than any words ever could.
 

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