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HIPP Foundation reviews affordable-housing, senior-repair and homeless services to Eaton City Council
Summary
Representatives from the HIPP Foundation briefed the Eaton City Council on April 21 on the nonprofit’s 2024 programs and 2025 priorities, detailing housing stock, a wait list, senior home repairs and shelter services and funding levels.
Clayton Gimp and Lindsey Watson of the HIPP Foundation presented to the Eaton City Council on April 21 about the nonprofit’s 2024 work and plans for 2025 on affordable housing, senior home repair and homeless services.
The HIPP Foundation said it manages about 56 housing units across Preble County with most located in Eaton and maintains a waiting list of roughly 50–55 people. Gimp said the foundation’s tenant screening includes a minimum credit score of 500, no evictions in the last five years and no felonies in the last seven.
The foundation described its senior home repair program as a no-cost service for qualifying homeowners age 60 and older who live in Preble County and meet program income limits. In 2024 the foundation reported $408,000 invested in local home repairs across 53 projects; staff said 99% of the contracted work was performed by local contractors. The foundation said it helped 94 seniors across 66 households and reported an average household income for the seniors served of $21,665, with the lowest reported income at $9,765.
On homelessness, the foundation said its shelter served 66 people in 2024 and operated an additional cold‑weather shelter that served 32 people during winter months. The foundation said it placed 33 people into housing with a lease in their own name and that the average shelter stay before moving to the next step was about 24 days. Gimp said the shelter avoids signage to limit out‑of‑county transients and prioritizes residents whose last known ZIP code is in Preble County.
Council members and staff asked about referral pathways and service partners; the presenters said referrals come from school liaisons, the senior center, case managers at medical facilities, other local agencies and social media. The foundation said it partners with mental-health providers, Samaritan and case managers to connect shelter clients with longer-term treatment and housing resources and that it uses grants and private donations to fund repairs and shelter services, not general tax revenue.
Gimp and Watson asked the council to consider additional engagement and offered follow-up visits or data briefings for council members. Council members invited the foundation to return with more detail about program capacity and how city-level partners can refer residents.
The presentation provided city officials current counts and program limitations but did not request any city appropriation or a formal council action at this meeting.
