103 Drop By DMV At The Library

Kevin DeSilva seemed to experience the impossible — he was in and out of the DMV in under an hour, and he didn’t even have to leave New Haven’s city limits.

Having started his day at the Fellowship Place, an Elm Street rehabilitation center for unhoused individuals and those suffering with mental illness, DeSilva had heard from staff that the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was going to have a team at the Ives Main Library on Wednesday afternoon. He had to get a new driver’s license, and figured he would come check out the services. DeSilva was surprised by how fast the process was.

“We just got done quicker,” DeSilva said, comparing the experience to a normal DMV visit.

Thanks to a partnership between the Connecticut DMV and the New Haven Free Public Library, limited DMV services were offered to patrons on Wednesday from noon to 4 p.m. Reference librarian Marianne Carolla noted that some two dozen patrons were already lined up on the performing arts floor at 11:30 a.m., waiting to be checked in for the DMV drop-in. (The closest DMV to New Haven is on State Street in Hamden.)

According to City Librarian Maria Bernhey, 103 people in total visited the one-day DMV drop-in at the library. She said that, while the DMV team had originally scheduled to be there until 4, they ended up stopping the line at 3:50 to ensure everyone could be assisted, and didn’t end up leaving until 7:35 p.m. ​“We look forward to welcoming them back and having another opportunity to conveniently connect New Haveners to these services at NHFPL soon,” Bernhey said.

On Wednesday, Carolla said that the current partnership was inspired by Derby Public Library, which had a similar one-time DMV drop-in in the spring. She phoned the DMV deputy commissioner to see if a team could host services in New Haven, citing the population of college students, unhoused people, and senior citizens who could all benefit from an easily accessible DMV. Having a centralized location for a DMV at a place like the Ives Main Library would also help those who couldn’t drive to a farther location.

People waited to make use of a variety of different offerings at the drop-in. Patrons could renew a driver’s license, non-driver ID, disabled parking placard, vehicle registration, as well as pay fines, tickets and suspensions. They could also receive an ID, get a duplicate of their learner’s permit, and check their driver histories.

“I come here to utilize services to be safe and warm and out of the streets,” Lala McClain said. ​“So this is a beacon of hope for me today to obtain my driver’s license.”

McClain, who has been unhoused for the past 13 months, had also heard about Wednesday’s services from the Fellowship Place while she ate breakfast there. She needed a driver’s license, and the Fellowship Place was able to help her waive the fee, as normal DMV fees applied to the services offered at the library.

Will Tuttle, a patron standing next to McClain, mentioned that he had heard about the DMV drop-in through an email. Tuttle hadn’t been to the library in over five years. When he saw the email, he figured he would check in on his vehicle registration status, and renew it if needed. In the meantime, he renewed his library card and was excited to see the library’s 3‑D printing offerings.

On the actual DMV itself, Tuttle appreciated that he could just walk in and get his needs met.

“This is saving me potentially a month of waiting,” he said.

And the vibes in the room?

“Nicer decor, for sure,” Tuttle said. ​“Less of an uneasy hush in the room.”

Public Services Admin Rory Martorana said that if enough people used Wednesday’s drop-in, the services could be a permanent staple to the library, and could expand to other library branches in New Haven. But for now, the librarians would keep track of how many people used it. At around 1 p.m., some 50 people were waiting to use the DMV services.

Thomas Breen contributed to this report.