A formerly homeless eight-year-old boy and his mother were finally granted Michigan state housing so all he wanted for Christmas was his own bed, and tear jerking video caught the moment he was granted his wish.
Daeyrs and his mother Dionna, from Detroit, spent most of the boy’s life living in homeless shelters after the trainee nurse lost her job, and subsequently their home. Once they moved into the state housing they only had a blowup mattress and a couple of chairs. Daeyrs was sleeping in blankets on the floor.
A social worker handling the family’s case reached out to Humble Design, which fully furnished the entire home, and surprised the boy, who calls himself ‘the man of the house,’ at the end of the video, with a fully furnished room. The boy bursts into tears of relief in his mother’s arms.
Before and after: Daeyrs got his Christmas wish granted, but all he wanted was a bed- instead he got a fully furnished room, complete with toys, decor and more
Daerys and his mother Dionna are shown the boys room and while mom is excited the look on her little boy’s face says it all
The excited boy quickly goes from joy to tears of relief as he has a home and a bed of his own
The ‘man of the house’ gets to be a boy after years of having to be resilient in homelessness
The emotional video, shot on December 20, shows the pair first stepping into their now furnished abode, looking in awe at the decor and bringing to light their sheer gratitude for the basics that people often take for granted.
As Daeyrs takes his hands away from his eyes as he is shown his beautifully decorated room, the boy smiles before bursting into tears as he sees his first ever bed, which is surrounded by an accompaniment of chairs, cushions, toys and an art set he’s also longed for.
The founder of the charitable organization, Humble Design’s Treger Strasberg, who oversaw Daeyrs’ dream renovation, said: ‘They moved into this house but didn’t have any furniture and were sleeping on the floor.’
‘We were referred to Daeyrs and his mother by a social worker, and our first order of business was to ask them exactly what they would like in their house to make it feel like a home.
‘Seeing how much having a bed and his own room meant to Daeyrs, it really made me realise what’s important in life and grateful for everything I have.
‘He was so excited to have his own room, but also so overwhelmed by what having this really means for him after all he’s been through – to have a place to stay and just be a normal kid with no worries.
Beautifully designed home from Humble Design so this family can start fresh in their home
Dionna and her elated son sit on the couch surely excited to enjoy their new home
‘We furnished and decorated the house from top to bottom with donated furniture and goods from our warehouse – from curtains on the window to kitchen appliances, we cover every detail.
‘Now Daeyrs and Dionna have a place they can truly call home and everything can only go up from here.
‘Seeing the impact that a stable home has on a family has been life-changing. With every home that we do, we learn a new story of hope and triumph.
‘In 2017, we helped 169 families transition out of homeless and abuse shelters.
‘We just want to wrap our arms around ever family that needs us, and our goal is to ensure no child has to sleep on their floor.’