The Red Cross shelter at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum, which opened September 9th for 287 evacuees from Louisiana, will close on Monday, September 26th after breakfast.

In the last 12 days, 235 evacuees have left the shelter and most of the remaining evacuees have either travel plans or housing plans in place. Over the next five days, the Red Cross, governmental agencies, and other organizations will continue working with the remaining 52 shelter residents to secure post-shelter plans for travel or housing. No one will be left without a place to go.

The Red Cross is committed to making sure that all remaining evacuees are given every opportunity to secure: 

emergency aid, 
travel plans and assistance (if necessary), and 
housing and employment assistance (if necessary).

The Red Cross is and has been working with all hurricane evacuees to provide assistance to them.

 A number of agencies and organizations have provided services, including:

Red Cross service center at 6921 Middlebrook Pike (9 am - 5 pm Monday through Friday; 1 - 5 pm Saturday)
Knoxville's Community Development Corporation (housing)
Community Action Committee (transportation and housing)
Knoxville Area Transit (transportation)
Salvation Army (clothes, furniture, housing, casework)
Social Security Administrations (government checks) 
Federal Emergency Management Agency (federal aid)
Housing and Urban Development (housing)
Compassion Coalition (furniture and other items)
Knox County Schools (enroll children in Knox County schools)
Legal Aid (establish identification) 
Helen Ross McNabb (counseling)
Tennessee Career Center (employment)
Knoxville News-Sentinel Job Fair (employment)
US Postal Service (post office boxes)
Knox County Health Department (Immunizations and health care)
Tennessee Emergency Service Chaplains Association (counseling)
Knox Area Rescue Ministries (housing)

In addition to the above agencies and organizations, there are many others that have been and are working to make sure that the needs of all evacuees are met.

The East Tennessee Community Services Agency is working to secure housing for evacuees who need it. Their local number is 966-6721 and their toll-free number is 1-800-892-5380. Evacuees can call between the hours of 8 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday.

All Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of this and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 865-584-2999 or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter at 6921 Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville, TN 37909. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.knoxarc.org.