'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition': Josephs helped the homeless and now they get 'a house that love built'
'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' returned tonight with the design team — Carrie Locklyn, Darren Keefe and Breegan Jane — along with the 'Modern Family' actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson leading the final makeover in the season finale.
Featured in the April 5 episode was the Joseph family from Los Angeles, California. Deon Joseph is a 46-year-old LAPD officer and he's in charge of the Skid Row area, which is a high volatile neighborhood. It's over 50 blocks in space but the concentration of people is anywhere between 13,000 to 15,000 people and it's mostly the homeless and vagrants that live here. It is plagued by violent crime and drug sales.
Amid this humanitarian crisis in Skid Row, Deon steps in with a giant heart. He provides everything from food to clothing as well as housing and other basic amenities like hygiene supplies to the people in Skid Row. He never turns down a chance to interact with them and does anything and everything to make them feel that he's not afraid of them and to make them feel as human as anyone else. In doing this, Deon has the full support of his family comprising of his wife, Tosha, and three sons, Jordan, Xavier and Deon Jr.
Deon has helped the community immensely but ignored his own house that was built in 1943. Things are breaking down, the doors are hanging loosely by exposed hinges, the pipes are old, water has been trickling down on the walls leading to mold growth and his son, Xavier, has got rashes many times due to this.
Deon describes himself as 'Mr Patch It' and less of a 'Mr Fix It' as he duct-tapes every problem in the house instead of repairing it. He has given back to the world and now would like to give back to his wife. And if that happens he would call it "a house that love built".
The design team does exactly that. They turn the Joseph family's basic ranch home in Carson California into a “spa-like retreat.” Deon and Tosha's room that looked like a teen soccer fan's dormitory was transformed into a bright oasis using light-colored wood and beach themed accents. The hole in the wall closet was replaced with a walk-in closet. The boys also got their rooms jazzed up along with a new and improved shared bathroom. The plain backyard of the house was accessorized with a firepit, lounge chairs, a hot tub and a tiki bar. Broken cabinets and old appliances in the kitchen were replaced with modern, smart appliances.
The renovation was complete and now it was time for the Joseph family to come in and see their new and improved house for themselves. It was a highly emotional moment for all of them and they finally have a house that they can call "a house that love built".