The Momentum Center in Grand Haven and Holland is known for supporting the mentally ill, but community members are asking more and more questions regarding the services offered and results achieved.
On March 27, 2023, the following public comment was given at the Ottawa County Community Mental Health meeting.
“Good afternoon.
Ottawa County on the behalf of CMH [Community Mental Health] entered into a contract on October 1, 2021 with Extended Grace Momentum Center. The contract was for $290,799.92, paid monthly in the amount of $24,233.33 from the property tax millage and renewed in 2022 to September 30, 2023.
Before the contract, from 2017 to August 2022, the Center was submitting invoices to CMH that totaled $1,163,866.28. This was $20,066.66 per month. Why? I FOIAed for all contracts. I did not get this one. How was that money spent?
As for the current contract, the Momentum Center agreed to operate a social recreation program to promote participation and community integration for persons with disabilities.
The contract includes reporting obligations, such as submitting to CMH, Monthly Narrative Reports and Monthly Calendars.
According to these reports and calendars, the Momentum Center sponsored, among other things, LGBTQ+ affinity groups, LGBTQ presentations, pride month celebrations, a visit from Dana Nessel for an expungment event, held town halls on race and racism, and held get out the vax and vote events. This looks like a lot of political activism.
I believe the taxpayers of Ottawa County have a right to know if their tax dollars are being spent for political activism and if the disabled in this county are being indoctrinated or if they are just being used as human shields.
I request CMH perform an audit of how the Momentum Center is executing this contract and of the payments made to it from today to 2017. I believe the taxpayers should be shown how their money was spent, dollar for dollar. Is there duplicity in how this money is being spent? Is the Momentum Center claiming that LGBTQ and race and racism events promote community participation and integration for persons with disabilities? Or are these programs just a pretense for political activism? Is there, by analogy, a strict separation of church and state?
Finally, was it legitimate under the contract for taxpayers to pay approximately $26,000 to the Momentum Center to help build and equip its business the Moo-Mentum Ice Cream Parlor? A lot of small businesses would like that kind of help. I recently read the Momentum Center's leader, claiming to a reporter, that the disabled would suffer social isolation without it. That sounds like emotional blackmail, not faithful performance of the contract.
This looks very suspicious and calls for transparency.”