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A trio of local non-profit agencies will administer a half-million dollars in federal stimulus funds aimed at preventing city residents from becoming homeless.

City council has designated McKeesport Housing Authority, McKeesport Housing Corp. and the McKeesport Healthier Communities PartnerSHIP to oversee the three-year, $500,957 grant from the federal Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, or HPRP.

The money will be disbursed in the form of grants for rent, utilities and other necessities, and is designed to prevent families without any other form of public assistance from becoming homeless, officials said.

"These resources are not for people who are chronically homeless, but for people who have recently lost their jobs," says Bethany Bauer, city director of community development. "My office is getting calls daily from people wondering when Washington is going to release the money, because we already have the need."

The grant --- part of the $787 billion federal stimulus package enacted by the U.S. Congress in February --- is available for three years, or until funding runs out, Bauer says, but 60 percent must be disbursed with in the first two years.

McKeesport Housing Authority oversees public housing in the city, while the similar-sounding but separate McKeesport Housing Corp. assists first-time homebuyers and existing property owners with maintenance and repairs. The PartnerSHIP is an outreach effort of UPMC and the McKeesport Hospital Foundation.

The agencies were selected because of their existing working relationships and their experience in case management, officials say.

They say the Salvation Army, the McKeesport Veterans Resource Center and local AARP representatives will help identify residents who need assistance.

Pennsylvania was authorized more than $9 billion in stimulus money. More than $5 billion remains to be paid out, according to the U.S. Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board.

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In Other Business: A West Mifflin company has been awarded a $122,000 contract to install new traffic signals on Route 48.

City Council by 7-0 vote last week accepted a bid from Traffic Control & Engineering Co. to equip the intersection of Marshall Drive and Long Run Road with signals and pavement markings.

According to city engineer William McKeever, the only other bidder was Traffic Systems & Services of Beaver Falls, whose estimate was more than $10,000 higher.

Officials say construction of the long-awaited extension of Marshall Drive between Old Long Run Road and Route 48 is proceeding on schedule. Work on the half-million dollar project is being done by the non-profit 12th Congressional Regional Equipment Company under the direction of City Public Works Director Nick Shermenti.

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Grant to Ambulance Service: A portion of the annual $52 local services tax has been designated to assist the city's ambulance service.

Council last week approved an ordinance designating 9.5 percent of the revenue from the levy to the McKeesport Ambulance and Rescue Authority, commonly known as McKeesport Ambulance Rescue Service, or MARS.

Formerly called the Emergency and Municipal Service Tax, the fee is levied on all people employed in the city of McKeesport and other Pennsylvania municipalities.

The move will provide about $7,000 per quarter to the non-profit ambulance service, Mayor James Brewster says.

Although MARS is "solvent and doing a good job," the mayor says the money will help cover losses incurred when residents do not reimburse the ambulance authority for emergency medical transport.

For ambulance companies, Brewster says, "it can be difficult to collect on receivables."

In addition to the city, MARS also provides service to neighboring Port Vue, Dravosburg and Versailles boroughs.