Investment will help protect homeownership, preserve generational wealth and provide free estate planning and legal services to Cleveland families

Cleveland, OH (August 19, 2026) — LISC Cleveland today announced a $500,000 grant from Rocket Community Fund to expand its Heirs’ Property Initiative, helping Cleveland families secure clear ownership of their homes, prevent displacement and preserve generational wealth.

Building on the success of the Heirs’ Property Initiative pilot, the funding will support the next phase of the program by expanding outreach and legal services to neighborhoods with the highest concentrations of heirs’ property issues. The initiative addresses one of the most overlooked barriers to housing stability: homes passed down without a will or clear legal title. This can leave families vulnerable to property loss, tax foreclosure and limited access to financing.

Research conducted by Case Western Reserve University, that was commissioned by LISC Cleveland with support from Rocket Community Fund and St. Luke’s Foundation, identified more than 2,200 at-risk properties across 32 Cleveland neighborhoods. The findings indicate that thousands of families could be vulnerable to housing instability due to unresolved ownership issues. Those properties also carry nearly $4 million in delinquent property taxes, underscoring the importance of helping residents resolve title issues before they become housing crises.

“At Rocket Community Fund, we believe homeownership is the foundation for building a prosperous life,” said Laura Grannemann, Executive Director, Rocket Community Fund. “This program protects that hard-earned equity and ensures that wealth can pass from one generation to the next.”

Phase II of the Heirs’ Property Initiative will focus on three southeast Cleveland neighborhoods—Union-Miles, Mt. Pleasant and Lee-Harvard/Seville—where research identified some of the city’s highest concentrations of at-risk properties. Through partnerships with legal aid organizations, community development corporations, faith-based institutions and other local organizations, residents will have access to free or low-cost services, including:

  • Wills and estate planning
  • Powers of attorney
  • Transfer-on-death affidavits
  • Advance directives
  • Beneficiary designations
  • Title clearing and probate assistance

“Too many Cleveland families have unknowingly been left vulnerable because ownership was never legally transferred from one generation to the next,” said Kandis Williams, Executive Director of LISC Cleveland. “This initiative gives residents the legal tools to protect what their families have built. It’s about preserving homeownership, preventing displacement and ensuring that a lifetime of hard work can become a lasting legacy.”

In addition to legal services, LISC Cleveland will host community workshops, neighborhood outreach events, estate planning clinics and targeted door-to-door engagement to connect residents with available resources and encourage families to begin the estate planning process.

The initiative reflects LISC Cleveland’s broader commitment to preserving affordable homeownership, preventing displacement and ensuring longtime residents can remain in—and benefit from—the neighborhoods they helped build.

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About LISC

Local Initiatives Support Corporation, LISC, is one of the country’s largest community development organizations, driving affordable housing and forging vibrant, resilient communities across America. Through innovative, community-centric programs, LISC and its 34 local offices work with residents and partners across the country to close gaps in health, wealth, and opportunity so that people and places can thrive. Since its founding in 1979, LISC has invested $38 billion to create more than 552,000 affordable homes and apartments, develop 88 million square feet of retail, community, and educational space, and help tens of thousands of people find employment and improve their finances. For more, visit www.lisc.org.

 

In 2025, LISC Cleveland invested $24 million in Cleveland’s under-resourced neighborhoods, leveraging more than $100 million in additional public and private investment to strengthen communities, expand economic opportunity, and advance neighborhood revitalization.

About Rocket Community Fund

Rocket Community Fund’s mission is to help families achieve stable homeownership so they can lead more prosperous lives.

Through its For-More-Than-Profit model, Rocket Community Fund recognizes that business and community are inextricably linked, and it purposefully harnesses team member talent, technology, policy advocacy and philanthropic resources to invest in comprehensive community development in Detroit and across the country.Alongside financial investments, Rocket Community Fund has organized Rocket Companies, Bedrock and other affiliated team members to provide more than 1.2 million volunteer hours nationwide, including more than 900,000 in Detroit.

For more information, visit RocketCommunityFund.org.