Road to Restoration program returns to Southwest Detroit, helps over 270 local residents learn their path to safe driving

Experts with Michigan Department of State (MDOS) and volunteer attorneys helped over 270 people understand what they need to do to restore their driving privileges at a Southwest Detroit Road to Restoration clinic on June 25. Twenty clinic participants rang a bell to celebrate the reinstatement of their driver’s license, and three renewed their license with help from the MDOS mobile office.

“The Road to Restoration program continues to improve lives across the state and within the Detroit area,” said Abigayl Venman, director of the Road to Restoration program. “Thanks to our generous partners and volunteer attorneys, we are able to meet residents where they are, lift barriers and offer direct support to thousands of Michiganders wanting to safely return behind the wheel.”

The June 25 clinic was held at LA SED Senior and Youth Center in Detroit and was the third Road to Restoration clinic hosted at the site. Representatives with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, 36th District Court in Detroit, 44th District Court in Royal Oak, and 50th District Court in Pontiac were also on site to help attendees. Volunteer attorneys and MDOS staff met one-on-one with clinic attendees to check their current license status, answer questions about their next steps, and provide services like vision testing and the written driver’s exam on site. Participants also learned about the administrative hearings process at information sessions held at the clinic.   

“My experience here at the Road of Restoration has been amazing,” said Artist Moore, a Detroit resident who received his permit at the clinic after being without a license for over 30 years. The people here have been very, very kind, very professional. Very courteous. I can’t believe how fast I got in and out. You can’t beat this opportunity. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to get your life back in order. I can’t wait to get my license.”

“I kept paying off the tickets that I accumulated but once you get one more ticket, it kind of wipes all of the work that you were doing away,” said Andreas Maholmes, a Detroit resident who received his permit at the clinic after being without a driver’s license for over 15 years. “I was paying off a lot of my debts and just trying to drive clean. But today, it was honestly a smooth process. I went to the Secretary of State first. She helped me out, gave me my test, and then I took my test and went over to the United Way. It was really a simple process. I really wish I didn’t take so long to get here.”

“I had a horrible accident, I had some tickets that were left on me, and I didn’t know what to do,” said Pontiac resident Alicia Kelley, who fully reinstated her license at the clinic. “There were challenges of not being able to get to the doctor for different visits, for physical therapy, a lot of things. It’s been hard not to spend time with my grandkids. Now with my driver’s license, I am going to go home, praise God first, and then I’m going to figure out what I can do to get a car.”

Road to Restoration partners include the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Michigan WORKS!, Michigan Association of United Ways, the Detroit Justice Center, DTE Energy, Miller Canfield, and Michigan 2-1-1.  

Now in its fourth year, the Road to Restoration program has hosted over 65 clinics across the state and provided one-on-one assistance to over 11,000 Michiganders. This innovative program was created to help more than 150,000 people newly eligible to regain their driving privileges after changes to state law in 2021. About 3,000 more Michiganders were made eligible to apply for a driver’s license on April 2 when Public Act 42 of 2024, repealed the state’s three-year ban for people cited for driving without a license. 

Road to Restoration clinics are free of charge, but some participants may be required to pay past fines. The clinics do not provide DUI expungement services and license reinstatement is not guaranteed.

The program will return to Southeast Michigan with a clinic scheduled in Adrian on July 31. Other upcoming clinics are in Detroit on Sept. 25, Flint on Oct. 8, and Dearborn Heights on Oct. 15. For more information about the Road to Restoration program, to find a clinic near you, or to register for an upcoming clinic, visit Michigan.gov/R2R or dial 2-1-1.