Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Congressman Tom Barrett on Monday fired off a letter to Leland Dudek, Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, urging the agency to reject any proposal to permanently close the Owosso field office and take immediate steps to restore in-person services for Shiawassee County residents.

“This location is the only SSA field office in Shiawassee County, a rural community with limited public transportation and unreliable broadband,” Barrett wrote in the letter.

“Permanently removing in-person access to the Social Security services offered here would create a serious hardship for the more than 1,400 people who rely on it for access to critical benefits and assistance.”

He continued, “If the current building is in such poor condition that repairs can’t be completed promptly, I urge you to find a new or temporary location in the area to continue serving this community. Shiawassee County deserves better than silence and delay.”

According to Barrett's office, the SSA office located at 1350 E Main Street in Owosso has been closed for more than 4 months due to unresolved facility issues, including the elimination of a pungent odor. As a result, residents in this community, many of them seniors and individuals with disabilities, are forced to travel nearly an hour or more just to access basic services.

Barrett's letter is attached below.