Home Visitation Program (HIPPY)

We believe HIPPY to be a very efficient and effective home visitation program and are very pleased with HIPPY’s performance in Gainesville during 2007/2008. However, HIPPY expanded their services to the cities of Alachua and Lake Butler in 2007/2008 and experienced difficulties in establishing services in these new communities. We applaud their efforts in this expansion, but have some concerns about their progress in these sites. Due to these concerns, we are proposing that we fund HIPPY at their current service level, 90 families, and encourage HIPPY to continue serving the cities of Alachua and Lake Butler. We also encourage HIPPY to think strategically about their expansion efforts and to work with other successful service providers in these satellite sites. United Way hopes to support development of an Early Childhood Council in Union County that will become a resource for this project.