As homeowners surveyed what remained and assessed how to rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some of those homeowners became mired in even more challenges: They learned that title to their home wasn’t officially theirs.

In Florida, where the community development nonprofit Wealth Watchers is based, a Lady Bird Deed – a deed that says who will inherit the property if the owner dies but where the owner retains full rights (including sales rights) while living – is a legal way to transfer wealth. One state over in Georgia, which Wealth Watchers also serves, this type of deed is not legal.

The classroom at the Renaissance Community Loan Fund (RCLF) in Gulfport, Mississippi, is usually used for financial advising classes for families and individuals preparing to purchase a home. On Wednesday, it was also a place of celebration as NeighborWorks America welcomed RCLF as its newest affiliate. 

Network organization aids in workforce development

Melvin had been bouncing between temporary jobs when he discovered Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council (CSCDC), a NeighborWorks network organization in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He had heard about CSCDC’s Transitioning Out of Poverty Services Program, also known as TOPS, from Arkansas Rehabilitation Services and his goal was the same as TOPS’ goal: self-sufficiency.

A client came to The Neighborhood Developers (TND) in Chelsea, Massachusetts 12 years ago to get help applying for SNAP benefits. In the years that followed, the client returned to the NeighborWorks network organization again and again: First to visit after they had gotten a job earning $13 an hour. Then for a visit to meet with a financial coach. Then to attend a workshop on creating a household budget. 

Nobody wins when the family feuds.

Let me tell you a story about a house. 

Not just any house — but the big house. The house where my cousins spent summers running barefoot through the yard, where Sunday dinners stretched late into the evening, filled with laughter and the smell of southern cooking and my great-aunt’s White Diamonds perfume. A house full of memories, history and love. 

And then, it became a legal battlefield.