City of Mobile CDBG 'Leaving a Legacy' Heir Property Program

City of Mobile CDBG 'Leaving a Legacy' Heir Property Program

Funder: City of Mobile Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding

Geographic Scope: Mobile, Alabama

Status: Award provided September 2017 (historical grant)

Focus Areas

• Reduction of blight through heir property elimination
• Community revitalization and neighborhood stabilization
• Estate planning and will execution
• Education about heir property issues and prevention
• Housing assistance and legacy planning

Program Goals

• Provide free wills to qualified Mobile residents
• Reduce heir property issues in the community
• Ensure clear property title for residents
• Support FEMA and federal home rebuilding grant eligibility
• Multi-generational wealth preservation

Key Features

• Free will preparation services for eligible residents
• Requirement for housing assistance applicants to have wills in place
• Community education about heir property issues
• Outreach and education services
• Address the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina regarding heir property complications

Problem Addressed

• Heir Property: Properties inherited without a will, often transferred to multiple heirs, particularly problematic when heirs are geographically dispersed or from multiple generations, leading to abandonment and blight
• Properties that become tax defaulted and deferred in maintenance
• Risk of demolition due to unclear ownership
• Prevents residents from qualifying for federal rebuilding grants due to inability to prove clear title

LSA Implementation

• LSA Mobile office received the grant
• New staff attorney position funded
• Program led by Attorney Dru Clark (started September 18, 2017)
• Based on similar successful project previously conducted by LSA in Birmingham

Contact Information

• Legal Services Alabama Mobile Office
• Legal Services Alabama
• Phone: 866-456-4995
• P.O. Box 20787, Montgomery, AL 36120
• Website: legalservicesalabama.org