Nessel visited the center’s main office, 507 First Ave. N., to learn more about the services and programs MDSCAA offers in its tri-county service area. Board members and staff also discussed challenges facing the Upper Peninsula and its citizens, such as elder abuse, consumer protection, MDSCAA funding, housing and employment opportunities.

One of the main topics of conversation was consumer protection in Michigan, specifically scams that can affect senior citizens.

“We want to be as helpful as we can. Every year, it’s well over 10,000 complaints that we respond to. It’s just a good way to check on whether something is legit or not in a time when it’s harder and harder to tell,” Nessel said.

Marie Whitmire, MDSCAA board member, described her experience with scams.

Scams in the Upper Peninsula were a main topic of conversation Monday during Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's visit with staff and board members at the Menominee-Delta-Schoolcraft Community Action Agency. From left are Executive Director Gary Willoughby, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Alicia Trudell, Angela Gardner, Nancy Kutzera, Hannah Micheau, Natalie Belanger and Alexandria Kleikamp. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)

“There were two emails that I got that said I was going to get billed $500 for some kind of thing that I didn’t know anything about. I actually was able to contact the real people of these companies, and I was able to ask them, ‘Hey, is this you or this fake one?’ I got it all straightened out, but it was very annoying to have people telling me that I ordered this and I was getting that and I had to pay for it, and I had nothing to do with it.”

Nessel directed those experiencing scams to file a complaint with her department and sign up for email notifications on the Michigan Department of Attorney General website, which was recently updated.

The group also discussed the different programs and services facing challenges at the center.

Myra Smeester, deputy director and leader of early childhood programming at the agency, noted the federal income guidelines the agency must follow could be a factor in the enrollment reduction in their Head Start program. The program assists families in early childhood education, health and nutrition services, and family support services.

“We’re hitting that enrollment but we’re still struggling, and it’s because a family of four with a single income at $17 an hour is not eligible for our services based on the federal guidelines,” Smeester said.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel visited the Menominee-Delta-Schoolcraft Community Action Agency on Monday. From left are Kristie Stenlund, Lydia LaPalm, Myra Croasdell, Helen Corbett, Marie Whitmire, Susan Kleikamp, Executive Director Gary Willoughby, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Alicia Trudell, Angela Gardner and Nancy Kutzera. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)

Nessel and Willoughby briefly discussed the federal funding freeze from January, the recent state government shutdown and the current federal government shutdown, all of which caused uncertainty at the center.

“Most of our Community Action Agencies — there’s 27 in Michigan — most of us don’t have large reserves to handle any kind of interruption of services,” Willoughby said. “Should the government not come to a consensus soon, that will impact us.”

Citizens have found their utility bills significantly rising, whether their town’s water tower is under maintenance or there are not enough people in the town’s population to spread the cost amongst.

“Last year, we paid one out of every five water bills of every resident in Manistique. The average bill was, like, $377 that we paid. Almost $200,000 just in water bills in a town of 4,000 people,” Willoughby said.

Nessel also asked Willoughby if the center had any programs considered unsustainable due to funding issues. “I’d say our senior services programs in general,” he answered. “Between what we get from our partner at UPCAP and even with millages, the food costs are going up faster, personnel costs, the costs of utilities, rent — that’s our biggest hole to dig out of right now.”

In a written statement, Willoughby said, “We are honored to host Attorney General Nessel in our offices. We have been a trusted partner with many state agencies since our founding in 1965 and we welcome the opportunity to share our story and find ways to work together to help even more people in the future.”