Land & Roots series helps Louisville families protect inherited property
Five-part Kentucky State and Louisville Metro partnership responds to hundreds of properties with unresolved ownership
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Across Louisville, an estimated 327 properties remain in deceased owners’ names, leaving families to navigate questions of title, succession, and long-term ownership, according to the Louisville Metro Office of Housing and Community Development.
Through a new five-part Land & Roots workshop series, Casey Townsend and Kentucky State University’s Community Resource Development team are working with Louisville Metro to bring practical guidance to that documented local problem. The initiative helps residents understand heirs’ property, consider estate-planning options, and take steps intended to prevent property loss.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines heirs’ property as family-owned land jointly held by descendants of a deceased person whose estate did not clear probate. Although heirs may retain the right to use the property, unresolved estate issues can leave them without a clear or marketable title. As ownership passes through generations, additional relatives may acquire interests and make decisions about the property increasingly complicated.
Land & Roots opened Aug. 25 at Baxter Community Center with a Louisville-specific curriculum addressing the legal, financial, and family dimensions of inherited property. Participants examined how unresolved ownership can affect a property’s future, including its relationship to the Louisville Landbank, and considered estate-planning approaches intended to reduce future risk.
“Property can be one of a family’s most important sources of stability, but unclear ownership can put it at risk,” Townsend said. “Land & Roots turns a complicated issue into practical information residents can use to begin planning, ask better questions, and protect what they hope to pass on.”
One exercise invited participants to begin mapping family relationships that may affect property ownership. The team distributed 31 copies of “How to Create Your Family Tree,” an educational resource used during the workshop.
Feedback collected afterward indicated that participants found the first session clear and useful. Survey respondents rated both their overall experience and their reported increase in understanding of heirs’ property at an average of 4.82 out of 5. The clarity of the information and the usefulness of the activities and examples each received an average rating of 4.76.
Townsend credited four collaborators with promoting the workshops and helping develop the Louisville-specific curriculum: Tia Bowman, Beatriz Reyes-Deciderio, Billicia Sullivan, with support from team members Nicole Harris-Kirby, Tamika Forbes, and Zara Macias. Their contributions helped ground the sessions in circumstances urban property owners may encounter.
By adapting land-retention education to an urban setting, Kentucky State is extending its 1890 land-grant mission into Louisville. The locally focused curriculum helps families make informed decisions about inherited property and reduce the risk of future loss.
Four additional Land & Roots workshops are planned. Louisville residents interested in future sessions may contact Townsend at casey.townsend1@kysu.edu or 502-597-6417.
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