Philly estate planning program has helped 1,000 homeowners complete wills

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Vendetta Stephens is no longer worried about her loved ones fighting over her belongings when she dies, including her family’s rowhome near Olney.

Last month, the 72-year-old finally updated her will with the help of Community Legal Services.

Stephens, a longtime foster parent for the city of Philadelphia, was referred to the organization by her church, which serves as a community partner of the Will Power Program. Launched in 2022, the program provides free estate planning to low-income homeowners in Philadelphia.

To date, the initiative has helped 1,000 homeowners with wills and related legal documents. Stephens said signing those papers lifted a weight off her shoulders and gave her peace of mind.

“I used to say ‘Wills are for rich people. What am I going to leave?’ But actually, I left something to all of them — just from that one house,” she said. “If I leave everybody something, and it’s in writing, there’s no dispute about anything.”

On Wednesday, Stephens joined elected officials and staffers from Community Legal Services  and the nonprofit Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania to celebrate the program’s milestone of reaching 1,000 homeowners.

Inside Zion Baptist Church in North Philadelphia, Debby Freedman, executive director of CLS, called the total a “gigantic accomplishment.”

“Wills help to stabilize neighborhoods and families, build and maintain intergenerational wealth, and in many cases help to close the racial wealth gap in our city,” Freedman said.

What is the Will Power Program?

The Will Power Program was created in response to Philadelphia’s tangled title problem, which affects real estate collectively worth more than $1.1 billion, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Researchers estimated the city is home to more than 10,000 tangled titles.

A tangled title generally occurs when a person, often a relative of a deceased homeowner, lives in the property but does not technically own it because their name is not on the deed. This often happens when there’s no will establishing a clear path to legal ownership.

Community Legal Services and Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania joined forces with hopes of helping families avoid the headache of having a tangled title, which can only be undone with the help of an attorney. The process is typically long, expensive and complicated.

Advocates say tangled titles can ultimately put a home at risk of deterioration, foreclosure and deed theft, costing families generational wealth and potentially decreasing the quality of life in a given neighborhood.

“Today, we’re not celebrating the signing of 1,000 wills. We’re celebrating 1,000 families who have taken a step toward protecting their homes, their legacies and their peace of mind,” said Derrick Thomas, who manages the Will Power Program for the Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania.

Over the last three years, the majority of the program’s participants have been older Black residents who earn well below the city’s median household income, which currently sits at around $60,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Nearly 80% of participants have been 60 years old or above, and nearly 70% have been Black.

Nationwide, there is a racial estate planning gap, with only 23% of Black families having a will compared to 65% of white families, according to research conducted by Thomas W. Mitchell, a law professor who now teaches at Boston College Law School.

On Wednesday, speakers made it clear the Will Power Program will continue working to reduce that disparity, as long as there’s enough funding.

So far, that’s come from entities including the city, Wells Fargo Bank, the United Way and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. During the ceremony, Pennsylvania Sen. Sharif Street, who is running for Congress, announced the state is kicking in $100,000 to the program.

“Thank you for the work that you do. Thank you for continuing to help vulnerable people,” Street said.