FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: Monday, July 11, 2022
United Way NELA's The Heirship Project to assist with clearing heir property titles
MONROE, La. – Next month, United Way of Northeast Louisiana kicks off its second year of The Heirship Project, a project aimed at educating and assisting residents who need help obtaining a clear property title.
Heir property comes about when necessary legal work isn’t done after a property owner dies. Heirs who have a verbal agreement to live on the property, but no legal title could face many obstacles, including selling the property, making repairs on the property, or qualifying for government aid to fix damages to the home.
“Last year, 100% of our participants indicated the workshop was helpful and that they learned something new about protecting their property,” said Michelle Saucer, Director of Community Initiatives at United Way NELA. “We’re excited to expand the reach of this project in 2022 and make it as accessible as possible to our community members.”
The Heirship Project will consist of 7 events with both in-person and hybrid options. All events are free and open to the public.
Date: Thursday, August 4th
Time: 12:00-1:30pm
Audience: Professionals
Location: Zoom
Date: Thursday, August 4th
Time: 6:00 – 7:30pm
Audience: Community
Location: United Way NELA | 1201 Hudson Lane, Monroe OR Zoom
Date: Thursday, September 15th
Time: 6:00 – 7:30pm
Audience: Community
Location: Bastrop Municipal Center | 1901 Moeller Drive, Bastrop
Date: Thursday, December 8th
Time: 6:00 – 7:30pm
Audience: Community
Location: United Way NELA | 1201 Hudson Lane, Monroe OR Zoom
Date: Thursday, February 16th
Time: 6:00 – 7:30pm
Audience: Community
Location: Lincoln Parish Library | 910 N. Trenton Street, Ruston
Date: Thursday, April 13th
Time: 6:00 – 7:30pm
Audience: Community
Location: United Way NELA | 1201 Hudson Lane, Monroe OR Zoom
Date: Thursday, June 15th
Time: 6:00 – 7:30pm
Audience: Community
Location: United Way NELA | 1201 Hudson Lane, Monroe OR Zoom
Interested individuals who need assistance obtaining a clear property title for heir property or who want to know more information about heir property should contact 211 for registration details. Simply dial 211 from any landline or mobile phone (available 24/7), or text your zip code to 898-211 (available Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm).
Registration is also available online at unitedwaynela.org/heirship.
“Our goal is to assist those residents who really need help clearing these property titles, but it’s also to educate the public,” said Kim Lowery, Vice President of Community & Organizational Strategy at United Way NELA. “We want to equip other local organizations so they can provide direction to their own clients.”
Wesley Eby Johnson with E & P Consulting, LLC will provide education at all workshops. She says that families will have the opportunity to learn about various options, such as transferring property ownership to one or more individuals, selling the property to a third party, or continuing to have multiple heirs as owners of the property.
“Participants will be taught how to talk about these options with one another and how to be better stewards of the legacy properties left by their parents and grandparents,” said Johnson. “The end result of the Heirship Project should be that more property transfers will take place from the estates of the deceased to the heirs, leaving less properties becoming abandoned or blighted due to maintenance and repair needs not being met.”
For more information about The Heirship Project, dial 211 or text your zip code to 898-211.
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United Way of Northeast Louisiana works with volunteers, donors, and other organizations locally to create lasting community change in the areas of Education, Income, and Health — the building blocks for a good quality of life. For more information about United Way of Northeast Louisiana, visit unitedwaynela.org, dial 211 on any landline or mobile phone (a free call 24/7), or text your zip code to 898-211 (available M-F, 8am-5pm).