Riviera Beach, FL – Families across Palm Beach County face significant challenges due to heirs’ property issues, a legal hurdle that often results in clouded titles. These complications can prevent families from accessing vital financial tools such as loans, grants, and property tax exemptions, jeopardizing their ability to preserve generational wealth and maintain community stability.
In response, Community Partners of South Florida, in collaboration with the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc. and sponsored by JPMorgan Chase, has launched a five-week virtual training series to empower residents to protect their properties and secure their legacies.
The training covers critical topics such as estate planning, preparation of wills and trusts, probate issues, and strategies to clear title ownership. The program emphasizes the importance of safeguarding generational wealth and keeping it within families. The first session took place on November 12th, but it’s not too late to join the initiative.
“Our goal is to provide residents with the tools they need to protect their most valuable investment—their homes,” said Lynda Charles, Vice-President of Housing for Community Partners of South Florida. “This is life planning, and everyone who owns a house should attend to learn how to preserve their assets.”
The program pairs legal expertise with community outreach. Community Partners of South Florida will conduct outreach and education to raise awareness about heirs’ property issues and work directly with 10 Palm Beach County residents in need of legal assistance while Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County attorneys Tequisha Miles and Blake Hanley will deliver comprehensive legal assistance for estate planning, probate, and clearing titles. Hanley also leads the training sessions, equipping participants with practical knowledge to address their property challenges.
“With the recent surge in property values and demand for land in Palm Beach County, heirs’ property work is more important than ever,” said Hanley. “Many families, some who have lived in their homes for generations, can’t access crucial benefits like homestead property tax exemptions without clear title ownership. Our mission is about justice, protecting generational wealth, and strengthening communities.”
The issue disproportionately affects African-American households, particularly in low-income communities across the southeastern United States, according to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws.
Residents who qualify are encouraged to participate in this transformative program.
For more information or to RSVP, please contact Tera Rose at 561-841-3500 or [email protected].
About Community Partners of South Florida
Serving Palm Beach County’s children and families for almost four decades, Community Partners of South Florida is the local trusted leader in comprehensive community development – investing in people, places, and systems so neighborhoods and residents thrive.
Their trifold approach to care though the avenues of housing services, community services and mental health services is an unreplicated model in Palm Beach County and they truly are changing the odds for families facing financial, social and emotional adversity.
About Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County
The Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc., founded in 1949, is a private nonprofit, 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to providing free, high- quality legal services to the most vulnerable community members.