After living with relatives for months on end, Mele Savea's family is excited to be in their new home.

Their new place in Wai'anae needs curtains — any kind and any color — and her bare living room could use a recliner.

These are nice-to-have items as only her husband, Lay, is working. Money only goes so far for the Saveas and their two children, ages 5 and 1. The family moved into their own home in June, Mele Savea said.

It takes the bulk of the family's income to pay rent. They're still waiting for the government-backed Section 8 housing allowance, she said.

"My kids are grateful to have a house," said Savea, 31. "We waited so long to have a house. My husband works long hours. I do the housework, the kids, everything and the medical appointments."

Not long ago, doctors discovered that her daughter has a heart murmur. She had a seizure, and when she was rushed to the emergency room, that's when her condition was discovered. Now she needs regular testing and repeated doctor appointments.

Her son has asthma, but that's controllable, Savea said.

"My daughter goes to the hospital all the time," she said. "It's tiring. So when she sleeps, I sleep."

If someone adopts the family, they're hoping for a Christmas tree, towels, blankets, toiletries and, of course, curtains.

"For right now, my husband and I say that as long as we have a tree and a present each for the kids, we'll be happy," Savea said. "We'd be grateful for anything. As long as the kids see something, we'll be OK.

"It would be wonderful to have the children smile and have their first Christmas under their own roof."