NEMCSA outlines regional services to Oscoda County; direct assistance not available until September

Ms. Frances Ommani, strategy and development director for the Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency, presented NEMCSA’s 2025 annual report to the Oscoda County Board of Commissioners on June 9, describing regional program growth across 11 counties.

Ommani said NEMCSA launched a Childcare Innovation Initiative with local partners to provide hands‑on operational support for childcare providers and helped open PACE Northeast Michigan in December 2025 with Presbyterian Villages of Michigan to coordinate care that helps older adults age in place. She also said NEMCSA consolidated a Head Start/Early Head Start site in Ogemaw County and added 50 staff members in St. Clair County to expand capacity.

Commissioner Linda Jagiello praised NEMCSA’s local facilities and programs, and Commissioner Varner described referring residents to the agency in his former role with the sheriff’s department. Ommani told the board that while an assistance flyer is currently posted on the Oscoda County homepage, "actual funding and assistance will not be available until September 2026."

The presentation emphasized NEMCSA’s role across a large rural area—6,300 square miles—providing poverty, childcare, housing and senior support programs. Board members asked clarifying questions about local service availability and timelines; Ommani and Trisha Grifka, director of Head Start/Early Childhood Services at NEMCSA, responded that some program rollouts and contracted services are phased and depend on regional agreements.

The board received the report; no formal vote on funding or county commitments followed. The next board meeting is scheduled for June 23, 2026.