Center for Heirs' Property Preservation

OUT-OF-STATE PARTNERSHIPS (OSP) In 2024, CHPP continued its work with the Mobile Basin Heirs' Property Support Initiative (MBHPSi), a partnership with World Wildlife Fund and Kimberly Clark, and secured additional funding to support organizations in other states that are replicating components of CHPP's service model. Arkansas, Kentucky, and West Virginia were added to partners in Mississippi and Alabama. CHPP also collaborated with partners in Texas to establish the East Texas Heirs' Property Initiative (ETHPi), a pilot modeled after CHPP's approach, that covers the 13 counties in the Piney Woods Region.(Continued on Schedule O)Organizations Involved - Alabama: Legal Services Alabama; LRLEAN - Arkansas: University of Arkansas Pine Bluff; Attorney Amy Pritchard - Kentucky & West Virginia: Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN); private attorneys - Mississippi: Mississippi Center for Justice; Mississippi Association of Cooperatives; Federation of Southern Cooperatives; Winston County Self-Help Cooperative - Texas: Phillip Kaiser, LLC; Texas A&M University; Texas Forest Service 2024 OSP Outcomes (All Partners Combined)Legal Services - Legal Consultations: 245 - Extended Legal Services: 32 families - Titles Resolved: 34 - Acres Represented: 3,927.6 acres - Wills Clinics: 15 - Wills/Estate Plans Drafted: 190 Forestry Services - Forestry Technical Assistance: 373 - Acres Receiving TA: 2,734 acres - Forest Management Plans Drafted: 34 - Cost-Share/Loan Applications Submitted: 43 - Conservation Practices Implemented: 73 - Tree Farm/FSC Certifications: 10 - New Farm Tract Numbers: 136 Education & Outreach - Legal Education Seminars: 38 - Forestry Workshops: 16 - Presentations/Information Tables: 29 - Individuals Increasing Knowledge/Awareness: 2,370 - New Farming and Forestry Enterprises: 27 OSP Landowner Stories Mississippi: A family working to probate their mother's estate needed a land survey to move forward. Winston County Self-Help Cooperative funded the survey at a pivotal moment, allowing the family to complete estate-planning steps.Mississippi: After her husband's sudden death, a widow with no title to the home sought help. Mississippi Center for Justice cleared title and drafted a will to protect her children.Alabama: Legal Services Alabama helped Ms. G. resolve a decades-old title issue left unprobated since her mother's death in 1999. With her siblings' support, LSA completed heirship affidavits and cleared the title.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CHPP conducted outreach activities and events to increase community awareness about heirs' property, estate planning, and sustainable land use.2024 Community Engagement Outcomes - Presentations & Information Tables: 27 - Attendance at Presentations/Tables: 1,904 - 9th Annual Rural & Limited Resource Landowner Symposium: > Date: June 2122, 2024 > Location: West Columbia, SC > Total Attendance: 180 > Featured Speakers: Shirley Sherrod (Keynote), Dr. Homer Wilkes (Guest Speaker) > Topics: NRCS programs, estate planning, forestry taxation, entrepreneurship on forestland, timber sales, alternative land uses, and the Uniform Partition of Heirs' Property Act Community Engagement Story Fifteen Woodland Community Champions (WCCs) completed a five-session leadership institute. As part of graduation, one Champion partnered with Trane Technologies to host two heirs' property seminars and an information table over two days, reaching more than 200 employees.