Community rallies to give homeless Tacoma family Christmas gift of a lifetime

TACOMA, Wash. -- A Tacoma mother and her four boys facing homelessness since Halloween got a very special Christmas gift.

While waiting to move into her Section 8 apartment, Casmin Savare met a realtor. And that realtor decided to secretly decorate and fill the new apartment with everything; from toiletries to furniture.

"Oh, my God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord!" Casmin screamed when she saw her new apartment.



The realtor's name is Michelle McClean. After meeting Casmin and her family a couple weeks ago, she made it her mission to help, by first getting them a temporary place to stay.

Then she hatched the plan for an "Extreme Home Makeover."

"All I can say is that I thank God for Michelle," Casmin told Q13 News. "She restored my faith in mankind."

On Dec. 6, Michelle sent Casmin and her boys to the movies. A group of about 100 volunteers got to work on the new apartment.

"We're not just giving them furniture," Michelle said. "Like if you open the linen closet there is everything. The kids have new clothes and new shoes. There is food and a freezer full of stuff."

Each design volunteer was assigned a room to totally decorate, from beds and couches to picture frames and curtains.

Michelle said about 600 people donated items to furnish the apartment.

"I heard that these teenagers were sleeping in their car. And that's what really motivated me to act," Michelle said.

Casmin's family also got extra Christmas gifts. The two oldest boys were gifted driving school vouchers. All the boys got a new laptop. Casmin also received a notebook full of gift cards, including $500 to Fred Meyer.

"There are good people out here, and I'm loved.  Even when I felt like I wasn't loved. I am truly loved and I'm blessed for it," Casmin said after touring her new home.