OCTOBER 7, 2011

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson today announced that the Mobile Office will be in Detroit Oct. 12 and 13 to serve homeless veterans.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 12 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 13. The show is at the Detroit Rescue Mission, 3606 E. Forest Ave., Detroit. The visit is in conjunction with an event organized by Southeast Michigan Veterans Stand Down, Inc. that offers services to homeless veterans.

"Americans veterans were ready to serve their country when they were needed," Johnson said. "I'm honored to be able to serve these veterans now when they need it. I commend the stand-down organizers for their work to assist southeast Michigan veterans."

At the stand-down, the Mobile Office primarily will assist people obtain identification cards needed to access additional state and federal resources. It offers all the services available at a traditional branch office. The office has participated in the stand-down since 2006.

The office is made up of four, easy-to-use carts that are rolled out of a 14-foot-by-7-foot trailer and then assembled as a customer service counter with all the necessary equipment and data connections. It replaces the old office, which was a 24-foot-long modified recreational camper trailer that customers would enter to do business.

Customers of the mobile office have the ability to pay with a MasterCard or Discover card as well as buy instant titles or a copy of their driving record.

The original Secretary of State mobile office was commissioned in July 1997 and logged more than 130,000 miles. When it required significant repairs in order to continue operation, Johnson decided to use a more nimble, less expensive alternative.

More information about the stand-down is available at www.4vets.org.

For more information about branch office locations and services, visit www.Michigan.gov/sos and sign up for official Secretary of State Twitter feeds at www.twitter.com/Michsos and Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/Michigansos.

Customers also may call the Department of State Information Center to speak to a customer-service representative at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).

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For media questions, please call Gisgie Dávila Gendreau at 517-373-2520.