February 7, 2024 by Aimee VonBokel
Lone Star Legal Aid Receives Grant from Federal Home Loan Bank Dallas to Address Heirs’ Property Issues in Harris County
Lone Star Legal Aid is proud to receive a grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank Dallas aimed at supporting organizations that address heirs’ property issues. LSLA will provide legal services to low-income individuals and families to establish heirship and clear property titles to help build generational wealth, to obtain tax deferrals/exemptions that help preserve homeownership and avoid foreclosure, to allow for home and property repairs and loans for same, or remove barriers to disaster assistance, to preserve homeownership, and to help establish housing stability. Amir Befroui, Managing Attorney of LSLA’s Foreclosure Prevention Project, stated, “LSLA is grateful for our partnership with Veritex Bank, specifically Courtney Taylor, it’s Senior VP, Community Development Officer, and her commitment to our mission.”
The project will serve residents of Harris County, Texas, the third largest county in the U.S. The County encompasses Houston, the fourth largest city in the nation, and one of the most ethnically diverse major cities ni the United States. More than 962,000 of the County’s residents have incomes below 125% of federal poverty guidelines; almost 70% of residents are Black, Latino/Latina, and Asian; and over 860,000 residents are Limited English Proficient. (Data was extracted from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year Estimates, 2017-2021.)
For 2024, FHLB Dallas has allocated $2 million in Heirs’ Property Program funds to assist organizations such as nonprofit, governmental and tribal entities with initiatives that help prevent or address heirs’ property issues.
Heirs’ property refers to property inherited without a will or legal documentation of ownership. As property is passed down, each successive generation generally results in more heirs being added to the inheritance. The absence of a deed or will can become more complicated as time passes. For more information, visit https://www.fhlb.com/community-programs/heirs-property-program
About FHLB Dallas
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) is a part of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, created by an Act of Congress and signed into law by President Herbert Hoover on July 22, 1932, to provide capital for mortgage funding during the Great Depression.
The System has 11 banks around the United States, serving as an affordable, flexible source of funding for some 7,000 financial institutions. FHLB Dallas is one of these 11 banks.
About Lone Star Legal Aid
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. LSLA focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety, stability, health, and wellbeing; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, the aging, survivors of crime and disasters, the unemployed and underemployed, the unhoused, those with limited English language skills, and the LGBTQIA+ community. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org.
