More than $268 million in Detroit household wealth could be at risk because families lack clear legal ownership of their homes.
A 2024 report from Detroit Future City noted that over 5,500 inherited homes in Detroit were potentially in legal jeopardy because they don’t have the correct documentation. This problem isn’t unique to Detroit. It stems from the fact that the majority of Americans don’t have a will. These numbers spike even higher within communities of color: 77% of Black adults don’t have wills in place for similar reasons, along with additional unique barriers.
Without a will, property can end up in legal limbo. For instance, with real estate, putting property taxes in someone else’s name is not enough to establish legal inheritance; you must transfer ownership with a formal deed. When someone passes away without a will, laws often dictate that their property is divided up amongst multiple heirs across generations, including unintended heirs, and decision-making about the shared property can cause turmoil for families.
Each October, we observe National Estate Planning Awareness Week because we want to protect our communities from the generational loss of land, wealth, and stability impacting them because estate planning feels out of reach.
In Detroit, where generations of residents have faced systemic barriers to homeownership and wealth building, ensuring families have the resources to preserve what they’ve worked for is especially important.
By making the time to plan for the future, we can minimize the heartache, confusion, and administrative headache that our loved ones will endure if they are tasked with settling our final affairs.
Estate planning is a powerful tool we can use to shape the legacies we leave behind. It allows us to retain self-determination over our assets–no matter how much or little we own–instead of allowing the state to make these decisions for us. It can improve circumstances for the generations that come after us and the communities we care about.
From leveraging tax-free charitable distributions through retirement accounts to including a simple sentence in your will, there are multiple pathways to ensuring loved ones, communities, and movements for racial and economic justice are resourced long into the future.
Set aside some time this weekend and check out the resources we’ve compiled below to help you think strategically about the future:
- 💡 Begin learning about estate planning.
There are plenty of resources available online through organizations like Legalzoom that explain how estate planning can help you pass down property, choose who raises your children, and more.
- 🖥️ Schedule an appointment with DJC’s Michigan Legal Help Self-Help Center.
DJC hosts a legal self-help center in our office, where residents can access legal information–including information about wills and life planning. A resource navigator will welcome you to our space, walk you through the requisite forms, and answer your questions. Reach out to Lauren Thomas to schedule an appointment at (313) 879-5605.
- 🔗Share resources about heirs’ properties in Detroit.
When a homeowner passes away without a will, their home becomes an “heirs’ property,” which is an unstable form of homeownership. Heirs must go through expensive and time-consuming legal processes with the court to try and gain rightful ownership. At least 5,500 properties in Detroit are currently owned by deceased people. Because these properties weren’t legally kept in the family before the owner died, their descendants become more vulnerable to foreclosure and displacement.- Detroit Future City has created a guide explaining how heirs can resolve “tangled titles” and keep homes in their families.
- Lakeshore Legal Aid hosts Generation Clinics to help with estate planning
- Michigan Legal Services offers probate assistance to help keep family homes
- Outlier Media is reporting on how heirs’ properties issues are directly impacting Detroiters.
- LISC Detroit has an Heir’s Property toolkit that can assist Detroiters in retaining family property
- 💌 Explore planned giving opportunities with DJC.
It’s a common myth that planned gifts are complicated, confusing, and only for the wealthy. In reality, our movements are fueled by everyday people. Individuals with the least to give, give the most & give the most often. Get in touch with our Development Director, Regina Sharma, to learn more about simple and affordable ways you can include the future funding of our movements in your estate plans: rsharma@detroitjustice.org // 313-908-5987.