Clean Slate E3, ACH Clear Pathways to Celebrate Clean Slate Success Stories With Forum, Hill District Arts Festival

Clean Slate E3, the nonprofit affiliate of The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP), and ACH Clear Pathways will celebrate the many success stories of HACP’s Clean Slate E3 scholarship recipients with an invite-only forum on Wednesday, July 23, followed by an exciting weekend highlighting the achievements of local artists at the Hill District Arts Festival, July 26-27.

On Wednesday, July 23, close to 100 invited guests will hear from five current and former Clean Slate E3 scholarship recipients, and their experiences in higher education, and four former HACP Low-Income Public Housing residents who have become successful entrepreneurs.

The forums will be held in the Hill District between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. July 23 — for invited guests only — in the Elsie Hillman Auditorium at the Kaufmann Center on Centre Avenue.

The event will also highlight HACP service providers, as well as resource tables and vendors featuring information stemming from education to self-sufficiency, including workforce development and home ownership.

Clean Slate will host these educational events as part of its annual sponsorship of the ACH Clear Pathways Hill District Arts Festival, which will be held for the public in the 1800 block of Centre Avenue from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27. 

Clean Slate has strived to enrich the lives of local youth since 1998, with a focus on anti-drug and after-school programming. The Clean Slate E3 Scholarship Program was started in 2009 to help HACP residents — who reside in both Low-Income Public Housing and the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program — entering or attending college offset the cost of their tuition. Together with our partners at NEED, each selected applicant receives up to $5,000 a year for four years, or no more than $20,000. 

The Clean Slate E3 Scholarship Program has awarded more than $600,000 in scholarship funding to HACP residents since its inception. This year’s recipients will be announced during the July 24, 2025 HACP Board of Commissioners meeting.

Former HACP Real Estate Asset Manager Susan Lofaro has returned to the organization as the new Clean Slate E3 Program Manager. 

This month’s events are Ms. Lofaro’s first Clean Slate celebrations, and she is eager to highlight the nonprofit’s accomplishments.

“I am looking forward to youth from our communities attending the event with their families to become aware of the opportunities they have available to them through Clean Slate while living in or in subsequent areas of HACP communities,” Ms. Lofaro said. “It’s Important to encourage our youth to dream big and to provide scholarships to help them achieve those dreams.”

Tyian Battle, Founder and Executive Director of ACH Clear Pathways, is one HACP success story. She was a resident of the HACP Housing Choice Voucher Program who completed the Family Self-Sufficiency Program and purchased a home through the Home Ownership Program.

“ACH Clear Pathways deeply values its partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh because it aligns perfectly with our mission to provide equitable access to the arts for all youth — especially those in underserved communities. What we enjoy most about working with HACP is the shared commitment to uplifting families and creating pathways for young people to thrive,” she said. “Through this partnership, we’re able to reach youth where they live, breaking down barriers to arts education and ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, has access to creative expression, mentorship, and safe spaces to grow. Together, we are building bridges between public housing communities and cultural opportunity, strengthening neighborhoods through creativity, and inspiring the next generation of artists, leaders, and changemakers.”

 

Ms. Battle is most looking forward to hearing from Clean Slate graduates and their future goals during the forums. She is also excited to showcase the Hill District’s arts and culture at the festival.

“The Hill District was historically known for its rich legacy in jazz, art, theater, and Black cultural excellence,” Ms. Battle noted. “Events like the Hill District Arts Festival are not only opportunities to celebrate that legacy, they are powerful statements that affirm the Hill is still a place of beauty, creativity, and resilience. Creating spaces where families can safely engage with art, music, and one another helps to counter negative perceptions, foster unity, and invest in the community’s healing and revitalization. By uplifting the arts in the Hill, we’re not just hosting a festival, we’re helping to reclaim a legacy and inspire the next generation to dream, create, and lead from within their own neighborhood.”

This year’s Hill District Arts Festival features local artists’ booths, food trucks, DJs, children’s activities, and live performances by Cherrelle (Saturday) and EPMD (Sunday). 

Event sponsors include: Presenting Sponsor Clean Slate E3, Centre Avenue of Hope Sponsor Highmark Wholecare, and Hill District Sponsorships: UPMC, DollarBank, First National Bank, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, McAuley Ministries, Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and All American Home Care.

HACP Chief Community Affairs Officer Michelle Sandidge said while Clean Slate’s programming has been adjusted over the years based on the winds of change, its sole mission to maintain programs and services based on education, employment, recreation, and healthcare for all low-income HACP and City of Pittsburgh residents will continue, now and forever.

“We’re excited about reuniting the former Clean Slate Street Team and scholarship recipients, as well as providing information for adults on self-sufficiency, and giving them examples of individuals that have achieved greatness during this forum event,” Chief Sandidge added. “This event, along with the weekend events in the Hill District, are always about enriching the positive side of a young person growing into an adult. We are proud to continue the Clean Slate legacy and keep our young people away from drugs, and promote self-sufficiency, pursuing employment opportunities, and becoming positive contributors to society.”

For more information on the Clean Slate Scholarship Program, please visit: https://hacp.org/programs-services/scholarship-fund/

For more information on ACH Clear Pathways, please visit: https://www.achclearpathways.org/

For more information on the Hill District Arts Festival, please visit: https://www.achclearpathways.org/hill-district-arts-festival

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Contacts: Michelle Sandidge, HACP Chief Community Affairs Officer, 412-456-5058, michelle.sandidge@hacp.org

Tyian Battle, ACH Clear Pathways Executive Director, 412-815-0471, tbattle@achcp.org