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A new partnership between �Ǹ���� (CWRU) and Local Initiatives Support Corporation () aims to help homeowners in Cleveland secure clear property ownership through an innovative pilot program. 

With support from a , the local initiative will focus on tackling the pervasive problem of tangled titles—a complex issue in which the legal transfer of ownership isn’t established, creating obstacles for residents trying to mortgage, sell or transfer properties.

“We commonly refer to this issue as ‘tangled titles,’ but this is really about legacy planning and supporting the idea of having an ancestral home,” said Laura McNally, director of the Kramer Law Clinic at the Case Western Reserve School of Law, which is directing the new program.

McNally said making legal solutions accessible is important—especially for low-income families—because it “builds generational wealth.” 

The one-year pilot collaboration builds on previous efforts by CWRU’s law students and the university’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. Two years ago, third-year law students researched the issue and spoke with people across the country who are tackling it in their communities. They helped formulate the pilot concept to help residents of Cleveland’s Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood interested in participating in home repair programs navigate the complexities of property title issues. 

The innovative work drew the attention of LISC Cleveland, whose leadership reached out to CWRU to explore ways of extending the project’s impact. LISC is a nonprofit that provides financing and support for community development nationally. The Cleveland office is one of 30 across the country.

“We recognized an urgent need to address the barriers caused by tangled titles, which disproportionately affect low-income families,” said , executive director of LISC Cleveland. “This partnership with CWRU, coupled with national support from LISC and significant funding from U.S. Bank, will allow us to move from research and planning to tangible community impact.”

McNally said that first- and third-year law school students will manage most of the work, supervised by staff attorneys in the clinic. 

“Our students laid the groundwork by developing resources that will now guide real change,” McNally said, noting that this new initiative will allow residents to untangle their titles and secure their homes. Focusing on the Hough and Buckeye neighborhoods, the goals include clearing 25 tangled titles and help an additional 125 residents develop an estate plan. 

“There are many resources in our community,” McNally said, “but if you don’t have a clear title, you can’t access to them.”  

Half of the $750,000 U.S. Bank grant will support the Cleveland effort, and the other half will benefit a similar initiative in Cincinnati. 

Organizers said the pilot project will provide a template to expand the work citywide, while creating a blueprint for other cities nationally. 

“We are building a toolbox to share what have we have learned and what can we do to scale this up,” Debbie Wilber, associate director and research associate at the Mandel School’s National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities. 

Implementation of the pilot program will begin soon in Cleveland and Cincinnati, with plans to eventually expand it nationally. 

“It would be great,” Wilber said, “to see this work moved into other cities and rural areas alike.”

For more information, contact Colin McEwen at colin.mcewen@case.edu.