News

Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation Announces Leap Coalition Partnership to Expand Outreach and Resources to Navigate Heirs’ Property Barriers

Published

2 years ago

November 19, 2022

Press Release

The Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation™ (CHPP) announced today a new partnership with The LEAP Coalition. The LEAP Coalition, established in part by John Deere, the National Black Growers Council (NBGC), and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (RMCF), advocates for the preservation of heirs’ property in rural communities. By joining forces with the LEAP Coalition, the CHPP™ will continue expanding its capacity to address heirs’ property rights and raise awareness about this critical issue.

The Center of Heirs’ Property Preservation™ is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works with underserved families in South Carolina to protect heirs’ property and to promote the sustainable use of land providing increased economic benefit to these historically underserved landowners. The Center provides legal education and direct legal services, helping families reach agreement or clear title to family land and probate estates. Through its legal counsel and educational resources, CHPP™ unlocks opportunities for sustainable land use, helping families to keep their land, realize its economic value and build generational wealth.

“For generations, heirs’ property issues have been a pervasive contributor to Black involuntary land loss, preventing families from building generational wealth,” said Dr. Jennie L. Stephens, Chief Executive Officer at the Center for Heirs Property Preservation™. “Our alliance with the LEAP Coalition reinforces our resolve to spread awareness and help our local communities protect and sustain their family legacies.”

“Heirs’ property remains a major hurdle, precluding access to vital resources needed by our country’s Black farmers and landowners. The unique legal and financial pathway to clear title is often overwhelmingly difficult to navigate alone,” said Marc Howze, Senior Advisor, Office of the Chairman, Deere and Company. “The Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation has been instrumental in clearing ownership titles for many South Carolina families, and we welcome the Center as a LEAP partner. This partnership underscores our commitment to ensuring Black farmers and underserved landowners have access to the vital resources they need to protect and preserve their property for future generations. We look forward to reaching more communities across the nation.”

As part of this newly announced partnership, John Deere has made a further investment to expand the Center’s resources and broaden its reach to help families and landowners gain clear title to their land.

About the LEAP Coalition

Established in 2020, John Deere, the National Black Growers Council (NBGC), and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) established the LEAP (Legislation, Education, Advocacy, and Production Systems) Coalition to improve the livelihoods of Black farmers with a particular emphasis on the preservation of heirs’ property in rural communities throughout the United States. The LEAP Coalition collectively works to address priority legislation, expand educational and advocacy opportunities, and ensure access to tools and technology all farmers need to successfully navigate advanced production systems.

About the Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation™

The Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation™ has been protecting heirs’ property through legal education and direct legal services since 2005. In 2013, the Center began promoting the sustainable use of land through forestry education and services to provide increased economic benefit to low-wealth family landowners. The Center provides legal services and forestry services in Allendale, Bamberg, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Sumter, and Williamsburg counties.

To date, the Center has provided 4,961 persons with free, one-hour “Advice and Counsel” (A&C) with 11,425 clients receiving direct legal services to clear title. A total of 1,501 simple wills have been drafted at free, community Wills Clinics; more than 503 families (who collectively own in excess of 40,000 acres) have benefited from various levels of education and expert resources to develop and implement sustainable forestry management plans, and 319 titles have been cleared on family land with a total tax-assessed value of $19.3 million.