Drivers get back licenses with one-stop shop clinic

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Around 50 people were able to receive help getting their driver’s licenses back.

It’s a program Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Renee DiSalvo started years ago.

It’s still going strong with more people showing up to every clinic.

Our driver’s licenses determine a lot in our lives, where we work, where we shop and where we live. When someone loses access to their license, those options become limited.

Regaining your license could be confusing and hard to do on your own, which is why DiSalvo started the Steering Clear clinic.

“It is such a barrier to productivity for the individual,” DiSalvo said. “They can’t find jobs you know because they have to drive to work, they can’t take their kids to school, they can’t get to doctor’s appointments.”

The clinic acts as a one-stop shop.

The BMV tells the individual what steps they need to regain their license in the same building are different agencies there to create a plan to make it happen.

“They can come here, we can put it in black and white where they can understand it, give them a road map and really the rest is up to them to do,” DiSalvo said. “But the area courts are all on board with us.”

Warren Municipal Court Judge Natasha Natale was at the clinic, she was observing and meeting with different agencies. She wants to bring this program to the Warren area.

“It’s a great opportunity for individuals that know they have a suspended license but not know what barriers exist to getting their licenses to be able to this program and obtain all the necessary information so they can obtain their valid license,” Natale said.

For Mahoning County, there is one more clinic planned for September 14 at First Presbyterian Church near YSU’s campus.

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