It was yet another morning on the way to day care. “Suddenly, the car started smoking,” said Erica Neal, who was driving the car. “We pulled over on I-610. I got my two kids out and stood in shock on the road’s edge. Some good Samaritans stopped and called 911. Houston Fire Department arrived within minutes and put out the fire.”

Erica, who is 24 and her kids, 3 and 4 years old, stood by helplessly watching the smoldering remains of what had been not only their car but their home for the past five months. “The fire department told me to call The Red Cross,” Erica recalled. “They said they didn’t know if The Red Cross could help as they did in home fires.” A 2006 Pontiac did not generally fall in the same category as a home or an apartment. 

Following the Houston Fire Department’s recommendation, Erica called The American Red Cross. Her situation was clearly out of the ordinary. The Red Cross doesn’t normally get involved with car fires. The case wound up in the hands of Ebony Fowler, Senior Department Program Manager and acting Deputy Officer. Fowler recognized Erica’s plight and the unusual circumstances involved. She pushed it through to see if there was a way the Red Cross could help.

Erica Neal’s case next found its way to Debbie Frizzell, Disaster Action Team supervisor. Frizzell, a long-time Red Cross volunteer known for her tenacious drive to tackle demanding situations, began piecing together all the information she could find. The call had come in on the eve of Hurricane Beryl’s arrival in Texas. Red Cross staff had been deployed and the chain of command was in flux.

Frizzell reached out to various senior leaders, including Kelsie Davis, Deputy Regional Officer and Jake Peters, Regional Deputy Officer. Both were informed of the situation Frizzell also reached out to Kevin McCoy, Department Program Manager for the Coastal Plains Chapter. Despite the overwhelming need to respond to Beryl and the fact that most senior staff had been deployed, they all encouraged her to keep looking to see what could be done. Erica’s situation was uncommon and desperate.

Frizzell found the fire date and location. Next, she found the storage lot where the car had been towed and went to verify its condition. It had suffered major damage and was a total loss.

Next, Frizzell located Erica and arranged for a face-to-face meeting. She verified Erica’s identity and documented her story.

Five months earlier, Erica lived in an apartment with her two children, Kamiri and Kartier. “There were rats and mold,” Erica said. “I complained to management, but they did not want to come and fix it. We found a dead rat in a wall. Management did not want to tear it down. The children were getting sick because of smell and things like that.”

After seeking what turned out to be incorrect legal advice, Erica withheld paying her rent. “I was given a three-day vacate notice. I was told to just leave so it would not be on my background.” Erica was never served proper eviction paperwork.

“I was working from home,” Erica said. “There was no other place for me to go. So, when I was evicted, I also lost my job.”

Erica reached out to her mom in Louisiana. “She did not answer,” Erica said. “The only other person I had was my grandmother, who lived in a senior citizen’s home. My grandfather passed away, and I don’t know where my dad is.”

Finding no other options since her grandmother’s residence did not allow children, “We moved into the car,” Erica said. “My grandmother tried to support us as best as she could. We would have meals with her from time to time. We could also shower and bathe there. And then, after dinner, we would drive to a nearby park and spend the night. During the wintry weather, we had blankets, and I would run the car’s heater until the children fell asleep. Then I would turn the ignition off.”

Erica and her children tried to cope with their situation as best they could. “We would buy canned food only, like tuna. Nothing that had to be refrigerated,” she said. “I found daycare for my children through the Workforce Solutions, also called NCI. I would drop them off at 6 a.m. and pick them up by 6 p.m.”

NCI is a program run by the Texas Workforce Commission that helps parents work or attend education programs by providing access to quality childcare services.

“I also found work downtown Houston,” Erica continued. “But when my car burned up, I lost that as well. I called a local church. A church member opened her home to us. But she runs a day care and can’t have us stay indefinitely because of the rules that govern day care homes. And that’s where we are now.”

Thanks to the information gathered by Frizzell with the assistance and blessings of the senior staff, the case was approved. “I had to go way above my head!” she chuckled. The Red Cross was able to provide financial assistance to Erica and her children and help her connect with other resources for people in her situation.

Erica said, “The Red Cross is the only organization I can count on and get a response within a timely manner. Other assistance programs have long wait times. I don’t even think they help with car fires.” Watching one of her kids in front of the television, she reflected on her situation. “Not many people understand that they have a family sleeping in a car. I am very appreciative of The Red Cross. They came at a time of need. They touched my heart. I don’t know what my kids and I would have done without them. I’m really thankful for that.”

People have various living arrangements and the Red Cross works as thoughtfully as possible to connect those displaced from any living arrangement to the resources available by our organization and others in the community. If you need assistance, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Story By: Francisco Phillibert