Benson announces new mobile offices
Trailers to serve central, western Michigan in effort to improve services
Two new mobile offices will be launched to serve communities in Central and Western Michigan, according to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
“We continue improving our services to make government work for the people of Michigan,” said Benson. “We’ve doubled the number of services available online, installed self-service stations at grocery stores across the state, and will soon bring services directly to the doors of people in Central and Western Michigan who face the most barriers and need the most assistance.”
Benson made the announcement at the Pope Francis Center in Detroit, where the first mobile office she launched was serving people experiencing homelessness. For several months it has partnered with community organizations in Southeast Michigan to serve seniors centers, foster care facilities, and other communities. The second and third offices will operate similarly and serve rural areas where residents may have challenges accessing the internet. The new offices are being built now and
expected to be in the field by end of summer.
“One of the first and most important needs to get people into housing is having state-issued identification,” said Fr. Tim Mccabe, executive director of the Pope Francis Center. “Until a person has that, there is no chance of getting housed. I am so grateful that when I called Secretary Benson’s office, they suggested a Secretary of State Mobile Office as a way to expedite the process so that we can get people off the streets as quickly as possible.”
The mobile offices operate out of the lobbies and shared spaces of community organizations and offer nearly all Secretary of State transactions except testing. Visitors can apply for and renew their driver’s licenses and state IDS, update their address, register to vote and transfer vehicle titles.
Benson continues to advocate for the state Legislature to provide funding to staff additional mobile offices to serve other regions, including the Upper Peninsula.