MVLS and Maryland DHCD Launch Citywide “Homeowner” Campaign to Educate Baltimore City Residents about Estate Planning and Legal Homeownership
MVLS and Maryland DHCD Launch Citywide “Homeowner” Campaign to Educate Baltimore City Residents about Estate Planning and Legal Homeownership
“My Home, My Deed, My Legacy” Program Empowers Homeowners to Plan for the Future by Confirming their Name is on the Deed to their Property, Ensuring Housing Stability for Future Generations
BALTIMORE, March 21, 2019 – Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS), the largest provider of pro bono civil legal services to low-income Marylanders, and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) today launched the “Homeowner: My Home, My Deed, My Legacy” citywide public awareness campaign to educate Baltimore City residents – especially low-income residents – about the importance of estate planning and the critical need to confirm their name is on the deed to their property. Through a generous grant from the Maryland DHCD and services provided by MVLS, Baltimore City residents now have access to estate planning resources, including an online information hub (www.myhomemydeed.org), a “Homeowner” hotline (443-451-4066) and support from volunteer attorneys to walk them through the estate planning and deed confirmation process.
“We meet so many homeowners who think they legally own their home, but to their surprise, the house wasn’t passed properly and now they aren’t on the deed to their homes. This makes the resident defenseless against losing the home due to tax sale, foreclosure, and limited access to critical programs that can prevent and the home from falling into disrepair,” commented Susan Francis, deputy director, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) and member of Baltimore City’s Commission for Aging and Retirement Education. “The Homeowner campaign will help ensure that the one wealth-building asset that most families have – their home – is able to stay in their family now and that the home will pass to future generations. We are grateful to align with the Maryland DHCD to execute this empowering program.”
In addition to raising awareness of legal homeownership and the deed recording process, the “Homeowner: My Home, My Deed, My Legacy” campaign will educate and inform the public about the estate administration process, the importance of wills and health care directives and steps to avoid probate.
“Through Governor Hogan’s Project C.O.R.E. initiative, we have worked with city leaders and community stakeholders to revitalize neighborhoods and build a brighter future for Baltimore,” said department Secretary Kenneth C. Holt. “Our partnership with Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service will help ensure that future includes local homeowners as the foundation for stable, thriving neighborhoods by connecting them with the professional guidance to protect their family’s most valuable asset.”
To learn more about the “Homeowner” program or to see if your name is listed on the deed to your home, please visit www.myhomemydeed.org.
About Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS)
Founded in 1981 with a mission to provide access to justice for all, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) serves Maryland’s low-income residents by offering legal counseling and full representation for civil cases. MVLS matches clients with volunteer lawyers who represent them in a wide range of consumer, family and workforce re-entry situations, including foreclosure, bankruptcy, income tax disputes, landlord/tenant disputes, wills, estate planning, criminal record expungement, divorce/custody and deed changes. For more information about MVLS’ services, visit www.mvlslaw.org.
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For more information:
Bonnie Sullivan
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS)
phone: 443.451.4060
email: bsullivan@mvlslaw.org
Andrea Martin (on behalf of MVLS)
Andrea D. Martin Consulting, LLC
phone: 443.927.6183
email: andrea@consultmartin.com