The City of Detroit and the Gilbert Family Foundation announced a new partnership that will aim to help Detroiters keep their homes and maintain generational wealth.
According to the organizations, the city partnered with Neighborhood Legal Services on free estate planning workshops and free will and estate planning.
Also, the Gilbert Family Foundation is investing $1.5 million with Lakeshore Legal Aid and Michigan Legal Services to increase probate services for homeowners who are at immediate risk of tax foreclosure.
This comes after a Detroit Future Study released last month, with funding from the foundation, uncovered about $270 million in household wealth tied to homes passed down through generations without a legal transfer of property to a surviving relative.
“For most Detroiters, their home is the foundation of their family’s generational wealth,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement. “With home values rising each year in the City of Detroit, ensuring homes can be handed down from one generation to the next is even more essential. We are thankful to Detroit City Council and Gilbert Family Foundation for their investment in and dedication to this important work and to the Biden Administration for the American Rescue Plan Act dollars that are proving to create lasting change for our residents.”
"We are deeply committed to protecting legacy Detroit homeowners from displacement,” said Laura Grannemann, the executive director of Gilbert Family Foundation. “Preserving these family homes is essential not only to building intergenerational wealth, but also ensuring the long-term stability of Detroit families and neighborhoods. We are grateful to all the partners committed to addressing this complex challenge.”
The city council also approved $668,000 in ARPA funds for a series of workshops starting June 20 to provide free legal advice around wills and estate planning.
The first three workshops will be held this summer and advance registration is required. Dates are:
- Tuesday, June 20, 2024, from 1-3pm in person at Matrix Human Services, 13560 E. McNichols, Detroit
- Saturday, July 13, 2024, from 11am-1pm online – hosted by Jefferson East, Inc.
- Monday, August 5, 2024, from 5-7pm online – hosted by Bridging Communities, Inc.
Residents can sign up in advance at https://detroithousingnetwork.my.site.com/portal/s/workshop-registration.
Additional workshops will be held later this year and into 2025 and will be posted on the DHN website as they are scheduled.
Eligibility for free legal services through the City of Detroit’s program:
- Own a home in Detroit
- Earn up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level
Eligibility for free legal services through the Gilbert Family Foundation program:
- Meet income requirements for the Homeowners Property Tax Exemption program (HOPE)
- Working through the Detroit Housing Network
- Heir living in a home passed down by the previous generation
- Currently at risk of tax foreclosure
Residents can call the Detroit Housing Resource Help Line at 866-313-2520 for more details.
