Our Mission is to improve the economic security and well-being of individuals and families in Alger and Marquette Counties by providing education, housing and human service programs through community collaborations. Our Head Start Program provides free preschool education programs for low-income children 3-5 years old. It also provides family services and health services for children. Our Great Start Readiness Program serves 4 year old children who may be at risk of becoming educationally disadvantaged or who may have special needs. Children must be at least 4 years old by September 1st of the year they apply. Our Home Delivered Meals program provides a hot meal to seniors who are homebound and unable to prepare nutritious meals for themselves. To qualify you must be homebound and 60 years of age or older. In addition to providing healthy and well-balanced meals, the meal deliverers also provide an important service by checking on the homebound seniors when they deliver meals. Our Congregate Dining program provides a healthy, nutritionally balanced lunch at one of our thirteen congregate dining sites within Alger and Marquette counties. To qualify to attend one of our sites you have to be age 60 or older, or if you are the spouse of a person age 60 and older. Our Commodity Food program works to improve the health of low-income elderly persons at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA food. Each food package is distributed once per month to a certain location to be picked up by the client. Our Emergency Fuel and Utility Assistance program provides assistance for individuals or families who have past due bills, may be running out of fuel or low on wood supply. For metered utility assistance the bills must be past due. As for deliverable fuel, the fuel tank must be at or below 25% in order to fill it. A household's gross income must be below 150% of the 2015 Federal Poverty Guidelines. We will need proof of income and identification to complete the application process. Our Home Weatherization program aims at lowering energy costs to the individual there by freeing up precious income that can be applied toward another living expense or to make paying the high energy bills more attainable through energy efficiency measures. Our Housing Services program provides services to individuals or families in ten counties incuding; Alger, Marquette, Schoolcraft, Delta, Menominee, Dickinson, Baraga, Keeweenaw, Houghton and Iron. Our targeted populations include homeless with a disability- as defined by HUD, chronically homeless, and general homeless. Our Supportive Services for Veteran Families program offers case management services and assistance in accessing all VA benefits as well as community resources. We can also provide temporary financial assistance for security deposits, rent payments, rent and utility arrears, child care, moving expenses, transportation assistance and emergency transitional housing assistance.
