Senior-services grantees tell Muskegon County board of staffing cuts, new meal sites and funding strain

Presenters at the Muskegon County Board meeting outlined strains and program changes affecting local senior services.

A presenter for the Senior Activities Committee described the Senior Companions Program, run by Catholic Charities of West Michigan, saying it currently serves about 35 clients. Volunteers typically spend at least five hours a week with their assigned seniors; volunteers receive a stipend and mileage reimbursement, and most referrals come through Senior Resources and Catholic Charities.

Representatives from Aiswell Services reported a workforce reduction — from about 90 staff to about 70 — and said that, because of federal funding cuts, the organization has shifted many activities out of its central senior center into community venues such as libraries. That change affected exercise classes and a congregate-cafe model. Aiswell described an increased need for congregate meals and said staff are using local millage funds to help sustain meal services while federal funding is constrained.

The presenter also announced a new congregate meal site (the Avenue location) in Muskegon Heights operated with Kareem's Catering and noted expansion of Meals on Wheels that will allow multiple frozen meals to be delivered at once by new equipment. Chris Van Derstel (introduced in the meeting as a director) said transportation remains a barrier for some seniors and that these service adjustments aim to improve access.

At least one presenter described AmeriCorps funding being negotiated back into the state budget, which has helped program sustainability; presenters warned that a federal government shutdown had created short-term funding uncertainty for certain services.

The board heard these reports as part of liaison and committee business; no formal action on senior-services funding was recorded in the transcript.