The Michigan Department of State (MDOS) with state and community partners hosted the first driver’s license clinic of the 2023 Road to Restoration program in Saginaw Wednesday. Approximately 300 area residents with suspended licenses attended the clinic to take steps to safely restore their driving privileges.
This is the second year of the successful public-private partnership that served more than 4,000 Michiganders at 18 Road to Restoration clinics in 11 cities in 2022. In 2021, new state laws lifted suspensions for drivers who failed to pay tickets or court fines, or failed to appear in court, for certain non-moving and other violations. While the new laws removed suspensions for more than 150,000 Michiganders, many must still take further action before their license is restored. At each clinic, residents meet one-on-one with expert staff to learn what they need to do to get back behind the wheel and complete as many steps as possible on site. A Road to Restoration clinic was previously held in Saginaw in September 2022.
“Thanks to our vital partnerships with private and public entities statewide and locally, we are able to return to Saginaw with this innovative approach to government service for a second year, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said. “A valid driver’s license is essential for many residents who need to be able to drive to work, to school, to medical appointments, and to meet their basic needs. The opportunity to work with our volunteers and staff is truly life changing for people who attend these clinics to restore their driving privileges. The Road to Restoration program is a model of accessible state government that helps those who need our services the most and meets them where they are in their communities.”
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with MDOS, DTE, and our local volunteer attorneys to bring the Road to Restoration back to Saginaw,” said Audra Davis, president/CEO United Way of Saginaw County. “We’ve seen the incredible help residents here receive at the clinics in charting their path to restoring their driving license and we recognize transportation is a major hurdle for those struggling to maintain stable employment. We are grateful to be part of the solution by providing a path of opening doors and helping to create an enjoyable life.”
U.S. Army veteran Demetrius Webb of Saginaw said he’d been without a license for five or ten years before reading about the Road to Restoration clinic in the local news. “I came in and I got details on what my record was,” said Webb. “From there, I took a test, I passed, and I got my driver’s license back. It will help me get to my cancer appointments and things of that nature. It’s going to be a good thing for me to be able to go by myself to where I need to go.”
“I had a car, but I hadn’t been able to afford insurance on it for a while, said Callie Turner of Monrose. “I began racking up tickets for that until they suspended my license. It changed everything. My delivery fees went up because I couldn’t get to the store on my own or get my own food. I ended up having to move back home two hours away. It changed my job, it changed everything.”
After a year and a half, Turner came to yesterday’s clinic. “They let me talk to several lawyers and people from the Secretary of State and they were able to get my license reinstated,” Turner said. “I’m hoping to get my CNA (certified nursing assistant) now and move forward with that.”
Chantelle Davis of Saginaw attended the clinic and said she had been without a license for four years. After meeting with clinic staff, she was able to leave with her driving permit. “It’s not good at all to not have a license,” Davis said. “I basically had to have chauffeurs and people take me around – my kids, my sister. But now it’s good because I can go on my own. It feels good.”
The Road to Restoration program is made possible by numerous partner organizations including the Michigan Department of the Attorney General, DTE Energy, Miller Canfield, the Detroit Justice Center, the Michigan Association of United Ways, and Michigan 2-1-1. Yesterday’s clinic in Saginaw was hosted at SVRC Marketplace in partnership with United Way of Saginaw County, the Saginaw County Bar Association, and the 70th District Court.
The next Road to Restoration clinic will be March 22 in Grand Rapids. Additional clinics are scheduled for Lansing, Kalamazoo, Detroit, Downriver, Mt. Pleasant, Alpena, and the Upper Peninsula.
For additional information about the program, to find a local clinic, or to sign up for an upcoming clinic, visit Michigan.gov/RoadtoRestoration or dial 2-1-1. Space may be limited and pre-registration is strongly recommended.
The clinics do not provide DUI expungement services and license reinstatement is not guaranteed.
