Federal funds for Phila’s homeless to be announced

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will announce this afternoon how much Philadelphia and other cities will get in grants to help the homeless.

City officials are hoping for better results than last year, when HUD slashed the city's funding by 40 percent to $13 million.

Grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Last year, HUD felt that Philadelphia's package of projects was weighted too much toward services - and not enough toward creating housing for the chronically homeless, including those living on the streets or rotating in and out of shelters for years.

This year, the city is asking for $27.9 million to finance 82 projects, including plans for a facility in Center City that would house street people with drug or alcohol addictions.