Two top administrators from Grand Haven Area Public Schools sent a letter to the American Rescue Plan Act Social and Human Services Committee requesting a grant be awarded to the Momentum Center. Did the Momentum Center receive this money to purchase the Rendezvous?
According to the letter Grand Haven Area Public Schools and the Momentum Center work with a “parallel philosophy”. The letter states that the Momentum Center works “to erase stigma in mental health, addiction, disability and social justice,” and that GHAPS benefits from this effort.
The letter also claims that the Momentum Center saves money and lives. I would like to see the data that backs up this claim.
The Momentum Center offers a Mental Illness Task Force and a Center for Social Engagement. They strive to change the way the community thinks about mental illness and they hold events “that focus on issues germane to marginalized populations.” Through their Mental Health Task Force, they focus on the way the community views mental illness, not on providing help for the mentally ill. They have an Anti-Racism Task Force that hosts community conversations focused on dismantling racism and creating a more just and inclusive community for all. In other words, the Momentum Center strives to change the way the community thinks about mental health in the same way they strive to change the way the community thinks about racism. They are not equipped to help real victims of racism, nor are they equipped to help the mentally ill.
In the case of anti-racism, if a citizen claims to be not racist, that is unacceptable. The premise is that racism manifests in every situation and you are complicit unless you are actively dismantling it. The same premise holds true when it comes to mental health. One cannot solely be a person who believes mentally ill people have rights and need help. One must actively fight on behalf of the mentally ill, because there is a stigma surrounding mental health that everyone perpetuates.
The Momentum Center’s website is filled with statistics, charts and lists of issues communities face in regards to mental health. This makes the Momentum Center appear to be mental health experts. However, it appears to me that the Momentum Center is preying off one of our most vulnerable populations. People feel naturally inclined to help those less fortunate. They have sympathy towards others who are ill, and those who have suffered from injustice. The public image of the Momentum Center is one of community and caring which enables people to open their wallets, but instead of providing proven treatment programs for the mentally ill, the Momentum Center offers social programs and community indoctrination.
The leader of the Momentum Center, Barbara Lee Van Horssen has taken the title of Experi-Mentor. She also calls herself a “Sex Minister” and claims to be an expert in “Sextegrity.” She is the author of Sacred Sex: Replacing the Marriage Ethic with a Sexual Ethic.
On November 28, 2022 Barbara Lee VanHorssen from the Momentum Center gave a presentation to the Community Mental Health Ottawa County (CMHOC). In fact, she commonly appears at board meetings in Ottawa County requesting support and offering information to community leaders with the potential to fund her efforts.
Finally, the letter claims that the Momentum Center “fills an unmet need in the community”.
In 2019 a mental health millage was passed by the voters of Ottawa County. Community Mental Health Ottawa County (CMHOC) uses the money for mental health treatment services, employment services, psychosocial activities, transportation, prevention and integrated health, and jail services for county residents. The Momentum Center is a beneficiary of this millage. According to the September 26, 2022 meeting minutes, the county has contracts with Bethany Christian Services, Flatrock Manor, Forest View, Heritage Homes, J. Brown Consulting, and Pine Rest. It also has contracts with Extended Grace Momentum Center, Cornerstone Drop-In Center, IKUS Life Enrichment, and Kenzie’s BE Café among others according to the August 22, 2022 meeting minutes.
The Mental Health millage generates $3.2 million dollars annually for ten years. CMHOC receives additional funding from the state, and on February 28, 2022 CMHOC announced they had received $3.7 million dollars in grant funding. That is $6.9 million dollars in 2022 alone. There are only 289,000 residents in Ottawa County.
Lastly, according to the October 17, 2022 minutes, “The new Community Partner Outpatient Program is being launched using millage funds. CMHOC will contract with seven local mental health providers to make counseling, school counseling, and parent education available in the county.”
What is the role of a school Superintendent and Curriculum Director? In my opinion, they should be focused on academics and ensuring the school district is operating smoothly. Advocating for left-leaning community non-profit organizations to receive federal tax funds is outside of the job description. Besides, do the Momentum Center and GHAPS truly have parallel philosophies? If they do then something is off….. Way off…….GHAPS administrators should be focusing on the education of our children.