“The knowledge I have gained through the academy has enabled me to know what I need to research and what questions I need to ask in order to be a successful landowner.”
STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS
The negative impacts of heirs property affect Georgia’s families, local governments, court systems, state departments, banks, businesses, and nonprofits. The Center facilitates Stakeholder Meetings for individuals and community leaders; government staff and elected officials; nonprofit staff and volunteers; business and banking professionals; and attorneys and judges to help these stakeholders assess how heirs property impacts family and community wealth and what role they can play in heirs property prevention and resolution. Stakeholder Meetings can have a place-based focus to develop interventions for one neighborhood or town, or a state-wide focus to look at systemic solutions. For example, on March 5, 2020, the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center, Inc. and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, with co-sponsors Georgia Bankers Association and Georgia Municipal Association, facilitated a forum for 50 thought leaders from the Municipal, Legal, Financial, Governmental, and Nonprofit sectors to develop a common understanding of heirs property, the tools available to address it, and a comprehensive action plan that grows Georgia’s economy through property rights. Arthur Fleming, FHLB Atlanta’s Senior Vice President and Director of Community Investment Services, shared - addressing heirs property is “essential to the revitalization of communities.”
Building Generational Wealth Webinars
The Building Generational Wealth webinar series offers online training for nonprofits serving homeowners and others living in generational poverty. "Understanding Clear Title and Estate Planning" and “The Probate Process and Deceased Relatives’ Debts” are available on our website.
The webcast series is offered the Generational Poverty Law Project, a partnership between the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center, Atlanta Legal Aid Society, and Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta and funded by The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc.
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The Center, solely or in collaboration with other partners, has completed 304 community outreach programs, trainings and stakeholder meetings in 47 counties reaching 11,857 individuals. |
ASSET EDUCATION
The Center provides financial training and asset education on home and land ownership as a means to grow assets for the next generation. The Center also engages nonprofit and governmental partners to help clients develop land/timber management plans, create conservation easements, qualify for USDA Farm and Home programs, leverage home rehab and restoration programs, and develop working relationships with each of our partners.
GEORGIA LANDOWNER ACADEMY
The Georgia Landowner Academy is a program empowering landowners wanting to learn how to manage the business, agricultural and natural resource responsibilities of land ownership.
The Academy also positions landowners to access government, private sector and nonprofit programs that encourage property ownership and housing stability.
Topics range from record keeping, managing farming and forestry operations, taxes and estate planning. Participants receive information on heirs property and how owning heirs property can be a barrier to qualifying for programs to improve one’s land. Participants also receive information on how to clear title to their property and are offered free wills prepared by a licensed attorney.