CENTER FOR HEIRS PROPERTY
1535 SAM RITTENBURG BLVD SUITE D, CHARLESTON, SC 29407 www.heirsproperty.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO PROTECT HEIRS' PROPERTY AND PROMOTE THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF LAND TO PROVIDE INCREASED ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO HISTORICALLY UNDER-SERVED AND LOW- WEALTH FAMILIES THROUGH LEGAL AND FORESTRY EDUCATION AND SERVICES. HEIRS' PROPERTY (HP) IS LAND THAT IS OWNED IN COMMON BY MULTIPLE FAMILY MEMBERS. IN THE LOWCOUNTRY OF SC, MUCH OF THIS LAND IS OWNED BY AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES, WHO PASSED DOWN THEIR LAND WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF A WILL, SO IT BECAME HEIRS' PROPERTY. THIS IS AN UNSTABLE AND RISKY WAY TO OWN LAND, BECAUSE IT IS EASILY LOST. THE ONLY WAY TO RESOLVE HP ISSUES IS THROUGH A LEGAL PROCESS, WHICH MANY HP FAMILIES CANNOT AFFORD. THE CENTER HELPS PREVENT THE LOSS OF HEIRS' PROPERTY BY PROVIDING LEGAL EDUCATION AND DIRECT SERVICES AND PROMOTES THE WEALTH-BUILDING ASSET OF LAND OWNERSHIP THROUGH SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY EDUCATION AND SERVICES. FORESTRY IS A 21 BILLION INDUSTRY IN SC. RAMPANT DEVELOPMENT ACUTELY THREATENS HEIRS' PROPERTY (HP) ACROSS SC. TAXES AND LAND VALUES CONTINUE TO INCREASE

THE CENTER FOR HEIRS' PROPERTY PRESERVATION PROTECTS HEIRS' PROPERTY AND PROMOTES THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF LAND TO PROVIDE INCREASED ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO HISTORICALLY UNDER-SERVED LANDOWNERS THROUGH LEGAL AND FORESTRY EDUCATION AND SERVICES.

THE CENTER PROVIDED LEGAL EDUCATION AND DIRECT LEGAL SERVICES, WHICH RESULTED IN THE FOLLOWING: QUANTITATIVELY, THE CENTER CONDUCTED 34 (PROPOSED 39) EDUCATION SEMINARS ON HEIRS' PROPERTY ISSUES AND RESOLUTION AND FORESTLAND MANAGEMENT WHICH INCREASED KNOWLEDGE AMONG 840 (PROPOSED 910) LANDOWNERS, RESULTING IN 396 (PROPOSED 415) LANDOWNERS COMING INTO THE CENTER FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND HELP. THE CENTER ACCEPTED 63 FULL CLIENTS WITH 139 PENDING CLIENTS AND RESOLVED 30 TITLES ON LAND WITH A TAX-ASSESSED VALUE OF 1.4M. CENTER ATTORNEYS AND VOLUNTEERS ALSO DRAFTED 262 SIMPLE WILLS TO HELP PREVENT THE GROWTH OF HEIRS' PROPERTY. HEIRS' PROPERTY STORY IT ONLY TAKES ONE GENERATION FOR PROPERTY TO BECOME "HEIRS'" PROPERTY LINDA W. BOUGHT HER OWN HOUSE IN 1994 AS A YOUNG, SINGLE MOTHER WITH TWO CHILDREN, BUT SHE DOUBTED HER CREDIT STRENGTH, SO SHE ASKED HER PARENTS TO SIGN THE DEED AND SECURE A MORTGAGE. SHE NEVER IMAGINED THAT HER HOME WOULD BECOME HEIRS' PROPERTY WHEN THEY BOTH DIED WITHOUT WILLS. "I NEVER HAD MY HOUSE IN MY OWN NAME. I WAS YOUNG AND THOUGHT THAT MY PARENTS' CREDIT LINE WAS BETTER THAN MINE, SO I HAD THEM PUT THEIR NAMES ON THE DEED AND THE MORTGAGE." EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER, LINDA'S ONLY HOME IS NOW HEIRS' PROPERTY BECAUSE BOTH OF HER PARENTS PASSED WITHOUT WILLS AND THEIR NAMES ARE STILL ON THE DEED TO HER PROPERTY. SHE HAD WANTED TO GET THE PROPERTY IN HER MOTHER'S NAME WHEN HER FATHER DIED, BUT SHE WAITED TOO LONG. THEN HER MOTHER PASSED AWAY WITHOUT A WILL, AS WELL. THE BANK TOLD HER SHE HAD TO GET HER NAME ON THE DEED. THAT'S WHEN SHE HEARD CAROLYN MURRAY TALK ABOUT HEIRS' PROPERTY ON WCBD - TV2. "I DIDN'T THINK THAT THE CENTER COULD HELP ME," SHE SAID. "I THOUGHT THAT IT HAD TO BE YEARS AND YEARS FOR IT TO BE HEIRS' PROPERTY." NOW SHE KNOWS THAT ALL IT TAKES IS ONE GENERATION PASSING WITHOUT A WILL AND NO ONE PROBATING THE ESTATE WITHIN THE REQUIRED TEN YEARS. DECIDING TO CALL AND COME INTO THE CENTER MADE HER A LITTLE ANXIOUS. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS EXPECTING, BUT GOING IN AND TALKING TO MR. JOSH WAS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE. IT WAS RELAXING AND NOT SO HARD." THE CENTER IS HELPING HER WITH TWO PROPERTIES - HER OWN AND THE HOUSE WHERE HER PARENTS LIVED. SHE GREW UP THE MIDDLE CHILD - THE MEDIATOR - BETWEEN THREE BROTHERS AND TWO SISTERS. NOW, THE CENTER IS MEDIATING FOR HER. ONCE EVERYTHING IS IN ORDER, THE CDC IS READY TO HELP HER WITH A NEW FURNACE, SOME PLUMBING UPGRADES AND ROOF REPAIRS - FUNDING HELP THAT SHE COULDN'T ACCESS WITHOUT CLEAR TITLE TO HER HOME. HER OWN TWO CHILDREN WILL NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM SHE HAD. LINDA HAS ALREADY TALKED WITH THEM AND ATTORNEY WALDEN IS HELPING HER DRAFT A WILL. "THAT'S A GOOD THING," SHE SAID. LINDA CAN HARDLY WAIT FOR THE REPAIRS AND THE SECURITY OF HAVING HER HOME IN HER OWN NAME. "THAT WILL BE GREAT," SHE SAID, BUT IT IS THE SUDDEN EXPLOSION OF THE SMILE ON HER FACE THAT SAYS IT ALL.

THE CENTER PROVIDED HISTORICALLY UNDER-SERVED LANDOWNERS (HULOS) WITH FORESTRY EDUCATION, ACCESS TO TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, EXPERT PARTNERS AND USDA PROGRAMS AND CONNECTIONS MARKETS TO SELL THEIR TIMBER PRODUCTS, WHICH RESULTED IN THE FOLLOWING: -THREE (3) (PROPOSED 4) EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS WERE CONDUCTED AT WHICH 83 (PROPOSED 60) INDIVIDUALS LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLY MANAGING THEIR FAMILY FORESTS FOR MAXIMUM PROFIT. -113 HULOS (PROPOSED 85) RECEIVED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM FORESTRY EXPERTS -50 LANDOWNERS BECAME INTERESTED IN STARTING FORESTRY ENTERPRISES -21 HULOS RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 166K IN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE (USDA/NRCS) "ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVE PROGRAM- AND OTHER PROGRAMS TO IMPLEMENT THEIR FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS. FORESTRY STORY A TIMELY TALE A SEASON OF HURRICANES MARY'S HUSBAND INHERITED HIS 43-ACRE HOMESTEAD FROM HIS GRANDFATHER, WHO RECEIVED IT AS PART OF THE "40 ACRES AND A MULE" REPARATION FOLLOWING EMANCIPATION. LATER, HIS UNCLE VERBALLY SAID THAT HE WOULD GIVE HIS 69 ACRES TO HIM, WHEN HE RETURNED FROM HIS DUTY AS A MERCHANT MARINE. "BUT, IT WAS NEVER IN WRITING," SAID MARY. -AND HIS UNCLE DIED AT SEA." STILL, THEY KEPT PAYING THE TAXES, AND THE TREES MATURED AND WERE READY FOR HARVEST. "WE HAD CUT SOME TREES FROM TIME TO TIME BUT ALWAYS FOR FAR LESS THAN THEY WERE WORTH," MARY SAID. "WE THOUGHT ABOUT CUTTING THEM WHEN OUR SON WAS GOING TO COLLEGE TO HELP PAY FOR IT, BUT WE DECIDED TO WAIT. THEN, HURRICANE HUGO (1989) STRUCK AND DESTROYED ALL OF THE TREES ON THE 69 ACRES. "WE WERE DEVASTATED. IT WAS A COMPLETE LOSS. THE TREES WERE ALL LYING ON THE GROUND. IT WAS A MESS." THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY SHOULD OR COULD DO. NO ONE EVER MENTIONED ANY BENEFITS OR CLAIMS THEY MIGHT MAKE. YEARS PASSED. "MY HUSBAND NEVER GOT OVER THE LOSS OF THOSE TREES," MARY SAID. FINALLY, IN 2013, MARY, NOW WIDOWED, HEARD ABOUT THE CENTER'S FORESTRY PROGRAM WHILE ATTENDING A CHURCH CONFERENCE AT ST. LUKE AME CHURCH IN CHARLESTON. THAT WAS A LIGHT BULB MOMENT FOR HER, BUT SHE WAS RELUCTANT AT FIRST. "SO MANY PEOPLE HAD GOTTEN RIPPED OFF, BUT I KEPT FOLLOWING WHAT THE CENTER WAS DOING AND THEN I GOT TO KNOW SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE PROGRAM." IT TAKES TIME TO BELIEVE. MUCH OF THE CENTER'S SUCCESS IS DUE TO THE GRADUAL BUILDING OF TRUST BETWEEN STAFF AND LANDOWNERS LIKE MARY. "IT HELPED TO SEE THAT OTHERS WERE PARTICIPATING," MARY SAID. "I KNEW THAT LOUIS MANIGAULT WAS PART OF THE PROGRAM AND RESPECTED HIM." TODAY, MARY IS MANAGING 88 FORESTED ACRES. SHE HAS PLANTED LONG LEAF AND LOBLOLLY PINE AND HAS BECOME A CENTER "WOODLANDS COMMUNITY ADVOCATE" (WCA) TO HELP OTHERS BELIEVE IN WHAT THE CENTER IS DOING - BY TELLING HER STORY. MARY IS A PROUD MEMBER AND KNOWS THAT HER LATE HUSBAND IS PROUD OF WHAT SHE HAS DONE WITH THEIR FAMILY LAND.

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