ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

Millionaire invites homeless couple to live in his $4 million mansion for incredible reason

"There was no thought, there was no judgment. I was just like 'this is done'"
UPDATED AUG 6, 2024
Representative cover image | Unsplash | Photo by Matt Collamer
Representative cover image | Unsplash | Photo by Matt Collamer

A homeless couple's lives changed when a millionaire from California welcomed them to his $4 million mansion. Back in 2019, Greg Dunston and Marie Mckinzie, who lived on Oakland’s streets for almost 10 years, were invited to live in one of the Bay Area’s most exclusive neighborhoods in Piedmont. The homeowner, Terrence McGrath, opened his doors in a mostly white, rich neighborhood, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. While it caused some inconveniences, the couple amazingly adjusted to the life of the rich. 



 

McGrath is a divorced real estate developer and an empty nester. He told the SF Chronicle that he first read about the couple in the news column of the publication. He went to meet them at a cafe when they were camping in a "doorway" at the Alameda County Probation Office. 

McGrath told ABC News that Dunston, who is blind in one eye, and Mckinzie, who has a bone disease weren't bitter at all despite their living conditions and disabilities.

The real estate developer decided to help them. He had a mansion in the hilltop town of Piedmont in the East Bay.

"There was no thought, there was no judgment. I was just like 'this is done,'" McGrath recalled.



 

However, the couple wasn't sure if moving to a rich neighborhood like Piedmont was a good idea. But a friend of the couple, John Reimann, who sometimes helped them check in hotel rooms during harsh weather, nudged them to make the move. Reimann shared that he had asked McGrath why he was letting strangers off the street live with him.

Representative Image | Unsplash | Photo by Jon Tyson
Representative Image | Unsplash | Photo by Jon Tyson

McGrath told him that it helped him come close to his roots and take responsibility for the injustices around him. It was Reimann who first drove Mckinzie and Dunston to McGrath’s house for a tour. 

The UC Berkeley graduate and the founder of McGrath Properties offered the couple his in-law unit of the mansion, where his children grew up and other relatives had previously lived. The unit had a king-size bed, a bathroom, a stove, and a mini fridge. 

When the couple moved in, as a preventative measure, the homeowner reached out to Piedmont Chief of police, Jeremy Bowers, informing them of the development. While McGrath was aware that his efforts to fight homelessness were not a universal solution, he told ABC that he hoped that he would inspire others to not look away from the issue.



 

As McGrath had suspected, Dunston and Mckinzie drew attention from the neighbors for all the wrong reasons. As they were seen in and around the property, neighbors often called 911 to report them, assuming they didn't live there. 

However, Bowers had already counseled his officers on how to respond to such calls, since he received the email from McGrath. “When people have called, we’ve not even responded. We’ve called them and said, ‘Oh no, those are the people that live in the house. (The homeowner’s) trying to help them,'" Bowers told the SF Chronicle.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The two came up with a brilliant invention for anyone who finds it difficult to relieve themselves in the wilderness.
4 hours ago
Samara Leilani who won a brand new Nissan showed that things aren't as they appear on the show.
5 hours ago
Students supported him to get on a flight to Los Angeles for an audition that changed his life.
1 day ago
She shared a video that demonstrated how she got fed up with the slow-moving line at Walmart and decided to take action.
1 day ago
Celebrity Week on "The Price is Right" allows celebrities to play games that the show is known for.
2 days ago
She saw that the woman taking instructions from someone on the phone and noticed something was wrong.
2 days ago
The moment became unforgettable for audiences, and the presenter was appreciated for his recovery.
3 days ago
Even without the raise, Oliver remains one of the top-paid faces on American television.
3 days ago
The story resonated with thousands of fans who made sure to set things right for the hardworking man .
3 days ago
After O'Leary and Rodriguez made offers, Cuban also joined Greiner to make an offer.
4 days ago
The Home Depot staffer requests the individual's tax-exempt number, which the individual declines.
4 days ago
She also called out Walmart after describing how she was feeling about wearing unwashed clothes.
5 days ago
Like any struggling young actor in the 80s, White was looking for any opportunity to appear on TV.
5 days ago
The man bought three tickets but left the last one at the counter and the man on the counter just checked it out of curiosity.
6 days ago
Perry's comments about splitting bills and the women being the breadwinner did not go down well with many.
6 days ago
The woman finally asked for help from a worker at Walmart and found out more alarming details.
7 days ago
Walmart worker confronts the return scammer, sparking a viral debate on ethical consumer behavior.
7 days ago
She was only offered $6,600 as a “goodwill gesture” for being the winner. 
Dec 6, 2024
The man from New Jersey bagged the reward when he was in the studio just as a member of the audience.
Dec 5, 2024
Viewers were left scrambling for an explanation until the glitch was fixed during a re-run later that year.
Dec 5, 2024