Red Cross helps find homes for Harvey evacuees

The Austin shelter for Hurricane Harvey evacuees closed Friday afternoon.

The mission for the city, the Red Cross, and FEMA was to help those displaced get back on their feet, and for the most part the mission is complete.

However, Tommy Adams said he was surprised to hear they were closing the shelter.

"They got up a sign that says that the shelter is closing at 12 p.m. that everybody got to be out by 12 o’clock,” said Adams.

Adams said he was taking shelter there because he was forced out of his home in Houston by major flooding leaving him homeless.

"I came here a week after the hurricane. My apartment had been flooded everything most of Houston flooded."

Many organizations like the Red Cross stepped in and aided hundreds upon thousands of Hurricane Harvey evacuees providing them shelter and much needed resources.

Locally people came together and raised funds and collected donations to send to areas hard hit by the storm.

Red Cross spokesperson Bristel Minsker said a lot of the displaced people where transitioned into temporary homes.

"We work with individuals and figure out what their needs are or help them locate an apartment or another housing alternative that maybe better long term," said Minsker.

However Adams said he wasn’t given the same help that other evacuees received.

"I didn’t get much assistance here because they say I didn't have any identification,” said Adams.

According to Adams a Red Cross spokesperson gave him the option of camping at a state park.

"I said a state park well what am I going to do there she said sleep in your tent," said Adams. "I just asked them to help me out with a motel for a couple of days a week like they did with most of the other people like that."

When FOX 7 asked Minsker about Adams situation Minsker could not answer directly. However, she did say they work to give people who need help options.

"There are a lot of options available for folks that would have been homeless before the disaster including going to the ARCH or the Salvation Army," said Minsker.

She also added, "We do have homeless folks that were impacted before the disaster seeking shelter. So in the early phases when you have lots of evacuees coming in from all over the main focus is to provide a safe shelter for people who need it."

Adams said he contends that he was left high and dry by the Red Cross when they shut their doors and did not help him find a place to live.

"What they doing for people, it's all been lies," said Adams.