Philadelphia housing agency losing $20 million in funding

A Philadelphia housing agency is feeling the pinch of shrinking budgets.  

Philadelphia’s Office of Housing and Community Development helps first time-home buyers get mortgages, provides emergency repairs for some poor homeowners among other things.  Director Deborah McColloch says her office is dealing with severe budget cutbacks.  

“The total reduction that you see it presented in the consolidated plan is $20.58 million. A funding cut of this magnitude of course will have an impact on our programs and operations which is currently under review,” said McColloch.

That’s a 13 percent cut, mostly from the federal community development block grant. McColloch says she isn’t sure how that will trickle down to reduced services is still being considered.

She says another problem is her unionized workforce has not had a contract in seven years and there is no talk of that being addressed anytime soon.