DETROIT – The city of Detroit is helping residents maintain their generation wealth by offering free will and estate planning services starting June 20.
Detroit City Councilman Scott Benson, District 3, was tasked with looking into generational wealth in the city.
An estimated 5,500 Detroit households are occupied by people living in generational homes, but their names are not on the deed.
It accounts for over $270 million of wealth that rightful heirs cannot access. But the trouble doesn’t end there.
“This prevents them from getting housing services from being able to pass on the generational wealth to their children and really just accessing all of the benefits of being a homeowner,” said Laura Grannemann, Executive Director of Gilbert Family Foundation.
The Gilbert Family Foundation is stepping up to help, committing $1.5 million over two years to cover legal fees for families looking to solve the problem through the probate court.
GFF will first help some 500 people whose homes are in danger due to tax foreclosure.
City officials are offering informational sessions and actual estate and will be planning for free for residents in hopes of preventing future generational wealth from being caught up in the same technicalities.
The first three workshops will be held this summer; advance registration is required.
• Thursday, June 20, 2024, from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. in person at Matrix Human Services, 13560 E. McNichols, Detroit
• Saturday, July 13, 2024, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. online – hosted by Jefferson East, Inc.
• Monday, August 5, 2024, from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. online – hosted by Bridging Communities, Inc.
Residents can sign up in advance here.
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