Red Cross spending $165 million to help Fort McMurray fire evacuees

Fort McMurray fire evacuee Mike Hudeysays he would be homeless right now if it wasn't for the money provided for his rent by the Canadian Red Cross.

"I'd be under a bridge or camping," he said Thursday.

With his family in Manitoba and Saskatchewan there was nowhere for Hudey and his girlfriend to turn when they were forced to leave home because of the wildfire.

His girlfriend's family members were evacuated as well so they couldn't help.

Their lives turned upside down, the couple turned to the Red Cross for help with renting a placein Edmonton.

"They paid our damage deposit and our rent for two months now, and they've still been giving out benefit vouchers and stuff like that for food as well as gas cards, so it's been good," said Hudey.

The Red Cross told CBC News it has helped more than 50,000 households with financial assistance since the Fort McMurray fire.

In addition to the initial $50-million cash transfer for evacuees, the Red Cross has spent or allocated another $115 million to help people cover other costs.

• Fort McMurray campaign largest in Canadian Red Cross history

"Some of the things that we are helping people with are rent or mortgage payments that they might not have been able to cover while they've been away," said Cindy Fuchs, acting vice-president of the Red Cross in Alberta.

Fuchs said the money is also helping evacuees with food and clothing in addition to transportation costs or even equipment to help people get back to work.

She said the assistance varies and is not based on any criteria other than the needs of families.

Fuchs said so far $136 million has been donated to the Red Cross for the Fort McMurray fire relief effort.

She said the matching funds from the federal and provincial governments still have to be worked out but the charity has already allocated or spent $165 million.

Many evacuees like Hudey are thanking Canadians for their generosity on an evacuee Facebook page and sharing stories about how the donated money is helping them rebuild.

Others are expressing frustration that it's taking too long for them to get financial aid.

Fuchs said that's only natural given the scale of the disaster. She said she believes that in general, things are going well.

She said evacuees need to go through a needs assessment with a Red Cross volunteer before making a claim.

"A good reason for that is we don't duplicate service, so if they're getting support from another agency whether it be insurance or another government agency or even their employer we're not going to duplicate that," explained Fuchs.

Some people complained on social media they paid for flights back to Fort McMurray but their claims to be reimbursed for their air travel expenseswere rejected.

Fuchs confirmed that's going to happen with any claim made without an assessment, but added those people can still access other supports such as food and clothing to help them through tough times.

'It's pretty humbling'

Hudey said it could still be several weeks before he can return home because of the clean-up to resolve issues like sewage damage that happened at his girlfriend's home.

In the meantime he said he wants people to know the couple is grateful for the support through donations across the country and around the world.

"It's pretty humbling, it really is," said Hudey.

Fuchs said she's never seen a response to a disaster in Canada like the one in Fort McMurray in her 32 years with the Red Cross.

She said anyone still needing help should talk to their local Red Cross office or head to the charity's office now located in Fort McMurray.

• One million Canadians have donated to Red Cross campaign for Fort McMurray fire victims