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HACP Partners with Pittsburgh Public Schools to Connect Students with Needed Devices, Wi-Fi 

May 28, 2020

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) is proud to partner with Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) to provide laptops and internet access to low-income students living in HACP communities in order to advance remote learning opportunities for current students.

HACP has been committed to the goal of bridging the digital divide that exists in many low-income communities since joining the ConnectHome initiative in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of Pittsburgh. Ensuring that HACP students have access to broadband and suitable technology has been a long-standing goal that has been expedited in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the agreement with Pittsburgh Public Schools, HACP will make a one-time contribution of $275,000, which the school district will use for the purchase of Chromebooks to be provided to an identified 872 Pittsburgh Public students currently residing in HACP households. HACP and PPS will enter into a formal Intergovernmental Agreement, which will be taken into consideration by the HACP Board of Commissioners on May 28, 2020.

In a recent survey, more than 1,500 students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools system reported having no internet. Even more households didn’t have enough computers or devices for each child to do their schoolwork remotely. Many of these families are HACP residents, and HACP was committed to ensuring students’ education continued.

Lack of internet access impacted communities in Pittsburgh before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the challenges families face have been exacerbated by the mass migration of daily life to the internet. No internet now means no school, which can have far-reaching consequences on childhood development. No internet means falling behind.

Providing internet access and tools they need to engage with online learning will allow students to continue their education and expand their learning opportunities. Bringing internet access and digital devices to our communities and residents has been a long-term goal of HACP’s. This partnership with Pittsburgh Public Schools is one more step towards eliminating the digital divide.

“This represents so much more than a donation or an inter-agency commitment,” said HACP Chief Community Affairs Officer Michelle Sandidge. “This is the partial realization of a long-term effort to ensure that HACP students aren’t left behind due to the digital divide. It’s an investment in the future of these kids and an investment that we are proud to make.”

“Due to the care and generosity of the Housing Authority of Pittsburgh, we will be able to level the playing field for some of our most vulnerable students,” said Superintendent Dr. Anthony Hamlet. “We are so grateful for this contribution that will bring us closer to our ultimate goal of becoming a 1-to-1 laptop district.”

HACP will continue to work with Pittsburgh Public Schools, the City of Pittsburgh, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to expand internet access and ensure that residents have access to remote learning and online education.

“We’re in constant discussion on how we can better serve the kids that we have in public housing,” said Ms. Sandidge. “We want to be sure that they have every opportunity afforded to their peers.”

For more information, contact: Michelle Sandidge, HACP Chief Community Affairs Officer, at 412-456-5058, or michelle.sandidge@hacp.org.