Clean Slate E3, NEED Surpass $1M in Scholarship Awards for Aspiring HACP Youth

This school year marks a major milestone for the Clean Slate E3 Scholarship Program and our valued partners at NEED. Scholarship investments in HACP youth have now exceeded $1 million since the program's 2009 inception.

Clean Slate and NEED have awarded funds to 24 new Clean Slate E3 Scholarship recipients (which equals up to $480,000 over four years), and 14 returning students for the 2026-27 school year. This school year's total contributions for the 38 scholarships is $187,500.

Clean Slate awards up to $4,000 and NEED awards up to $1,000 a year for four years to each recipient, with total awards of up to $20,000 to recipients who are chosen by representatives at NEED.

Monies from the scholarship fund come from HACP employee donations and other contributions; it is not funded with federal dollars.

"The HACP is committed to investing in its youth," HACP Executive Director Caster D. Binion said. "This commitment is evident by the ongoing efforts of the Clean Slate E3 Scholarship Program, and our own employee donations and other contributions that have helped us to surpass such a monumental milestone with more than $1 million in funding since 2009. We are proud of our youth who are putting in this hard work to secure bright futures, and are happy to help them by being a place to live and a path to launch."

HACP residents - in both Low-Income Public Housing and the Housing Choice Voucher Program - who are either graduating high school or continuing their college education with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher - are eligible to apply.

"We've reached two milestones this year. This is the largest group of scholarship recipients that we've had since the inception of the scholarship program in 2009 and we've surpassed the $1 million dollar mark in scholarships funded to HACP youth!" Susan Lofaro, Clean Slate E3 program manager, said. "I'm excited by the momentum that this Clean Slate E3 program has made in the past year and we'll continue our outreach efforts."

She added Clean Slate wants families to know scholarships are given to students attending traditional four-year institutions, as well as those wishing to attend trade or technical schools.

"We continue to be grateful for our partnership with NEED to ensure a seamless process when working with both the students and schools," she said.

"Receiving this 20,000 scholarship would help me pay for my education and reduce the stress of paying for college," Housing Choice Voucher resident Heaven-Marie Green said. "It would allow me to focus more on my classes, learning and reaching my goals instead of worrying about money. This scholarship would also help me buy books, supplies and cover other school-related expenses, making it easier for me to succeed." Heaven-Marie is majoring in education at Duquesne University.

"This scholarship would help with books and any supplies needed for my education, which would greatly ease my family's financial burden, allowing them to focus on my siblings while I continue studying," Samara Freeman. Samara, a Low-Income Public Housing resident, is majoring in psychology at Cheyney University.

To learn more about Clean Slate, scholarship eligibility, and contributing to the scholarship fund, please visit: https://hacp.org/programs-services/scholarship-fund/ or https://engage.hacp.org/cleanslate-e3.

Media contacts: Michelle Sandidge, Chief Community Affairs Officer, 412-456-5058, or: [email protected]
Susan Lofaro, Clean Slate Program Manager, 412-899-6739, or: [email protected]