Last Friday, ELDI spin-off and partner Catapult Greater Pittsburgh announced the launch of an exciting new program to support individuals and families throughout Allegheny County living in their homes without legal title to the property in their name.
CLEAR (Clinic for Legal Equity and Repairs) will help address these so called “tangled title” matters or issues related to the legal ownership of real estate. Additionally, CLEAR participants will be eligible for quality of life home repairs and assistance with estate planning and the creation of wills.
Legal services will be provided through vetted consulting attorneys, including long-time judge and housing advocate Irene Clark. Home repairs will be carried out by local contractors. All services will come at no cost to participants. The goal is to protect existing homes as key assets for generational wealth building within Pittsburgh communities, especially communities that have limited access to this kind of support.
“A big portion of our city’s blight, vacancy, and abandonment issues can be attributed to tangled title issues, particularly in low-income, Black communities,” said Catapult Executive Director Tammy Thompson. “Families are losing billions of dollars in generational wealth across the country because of this issue, and we’re excited that we can help families here in Pittsburgh resolve these complicated legal matters while also helping resolve health and safety repair issues that could force a family to walk away from a home. Going one step further, I’m thrilled that we will be providing estate planning and will preparation workshops to help proactively protect these family and community assets.”
According to the nonprofit Neighborhood Legal Services, Allegheny County alone has an estimated 4,000 tangled titles, many of which exist in low-income neighborhoods.
“Most times we see this issue occur when the homeowner on the deed passes away, and the family members continue to live in the home without transferring title,” explained Gabrielle DeMarchi, Director of Equity Protection at Catapult. “Those family members will continue paying real estate taxes and maintaining the property, but it does not make them the owner.”
This can present problems down the line when those residents want to take out a mortgage or loan, get a real estate tax abatement, sell the home, or take advantage of home repair or utility assistance programs, among other things.
The current process for fixing tangled titles in Allegheny County requires a lawyer and is costly and time-consuming, with administrative costs ranging from $1,500-4,000, not including inheritance taxes.
“People are walking away from their properties because they can’t afford attorney fees or home repairs or they can’t get around the barriers of not having title. This program will help remove some of those barriers and ensure that the legacy of the home stays intact,” said DeMarchi.
After CLEAR participants have gone through the title process, they will be able to work with an attorney to create an estate plan and will to guarantee ownership of the home well into the future.
There are no eligibility requirements for CLEAR, but Catapult is prioritizing individuals and families who are 62 and older, caregivers of children 18 and younger, and those who are veterans or widows/widowers of veterans. Catapult will also be focusing on the preservation of Black homeownership, and the property in question must be within Allegheny County.
Funding for the program comes from national partners, and locally, McAuley Ministries which provided a grant of $50,000 to do this work in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Neighborhood Legal Services, Rising Tide Partners, and the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh will also serve as vital program partners.
In the coming weeks, Catapult will be doing on-the-ground outreach throughout Pittsburgh communities to get the word out about the program. Those interested can learn more and apply on Catapult’s website at catapultpittsburgh.org/programs/.