DETROIT – Owning a home can be life-changing not only for the homeowner but also for their descendants.
Homes can be a mechanism to build generational wealth.
“This is just not a home to lay your head down,” said Jeanine W., who has a home on Detroit’s east side that has been in her family for generations. “My daughter is now residing in her great-great grandmother’s bedroom. Who can say that.”
Her great-grandmother, Jesse, bought the home sometime in the late 40s or early 50s.
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Jeanine became the latest owner following the passing of her grandmother, Virginia.
“She knew the importance of going down, deed work,” Jeanine said.
However, many Detroit homeowners don’t take the necessary steps to keep their homes in the family.
According to a report released this year by the think tank Detroit Future City, about 5,500 family-owned properties inherited through generations have unclear ownership.
They’re known as heirs’ properties.
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“They believe that they are in the property because it was inherited. But there’s no will. There’s no trust. And their name is not actually on the deed,” Detroit Future City CEO Anika Goss said.
Although heirs’ properties are all over Detroit, the report found the neighborhoods with the highest concentration of them are Schaefer 7/8 Lodge, Schulze, and Bagley on the west side, Airport Sub, Hawthorne Park, and Cadillac Heights on the east side, and Boynton in Southwest Detroit.
“It’s a significant problem that can really detract from the growth and opportunity in our neighborhoods,” Goss said.
Heirs’ properties are more at risk of falling into disrepair.
Heirs may be unable to get homeowners insurance or access home loans or grants for home repairs.
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“If you have a succession plan for the house where there’s a clear, owner and successor identified, it is more likely that house will remain occupied, that it will remain intact,” The Villages CDC Executive Director Mac Farr said.
That’s the focus of The Villages CDC’s Keep It In the Family program.
“We make sure that folks actually own their homes. And if they don’t, then we’ll put them on the legal track in order to get them set up,” Farr said.
Jeanine knows the payoff of doing so and said her daughter will, too, one day.
“My great grandmother, I hope she is smiling down,” Jeanine said.
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Owning a home can be life-changing not only for the homeowner but also for their descendants. (Copyright 2024 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.)
Copyright 2024 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
Detroit Public Schools Community District hosting 5th annual alumni event
DETROIT – Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) will host their fifth annual alumni event.
On May 16, the foundation will host their Tyrone E. Winfrey Hall of Fame Alumni Gala.
The Gala honors distinguished DPSCD alumni who have made a major impact in our community and beyond.
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The night is a celebration of Detroit’s success stories and a fundraiser to create new opportunities for the next generation of students.
Organizers say there will be a major live announcement aimed at helping Detroit High School students build brighter futures.
Kerrie Mitchell, the president and CEO of the DPSCD Foundation, joined Local 4 Live to talk more about the gala, the foundation’s mission and what the announcement could mean for students across the city.
You can watch the full interview in the video at the beginning of this article.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
The Detroit Zoo welcomed a new giraffe, Nguvu, to the herd, officials announced on Wednesday.
Officials say 1-year-old Nguvu came from Utah’s Hogle Zoo as part of the zoo’s “long-term plan for the giraffe herd.”
“This move was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Giraffe Species Survival Plan, which promotes the health, genetic diversity and overall sustainability of giraffe populations in zoos – and we’re eager to support Nguvu as he adjusts to his new home,” the Detroit Zoo says.
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Detroit Zoo
Officials say Nguvu has been working with the animal care teams for several days and will be introduced to the herd soon.
According to Utah’s Hogle Zoo, Nguvu was born in February 2025. His name means “strength” in Swahili.
The Detroit Lions are taking part in the NFL’s International series for the first time since 2015 by hosting the AFC Champion New England Patriots Week 10 in Munich at Allianz Arena on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m. ET (3:30 p.m. local time in Germany) on FOX.
The Patriots represented the AFC in the Super Bowl this past February after a 14-3 season and their 22nd AFC East title. They beat the Los Angeles Chargers (16-3), Houston Texans (28-16) and Denver Broncos (10-7) in the playoffs to earn their 12th Super Bowl appearance, which they lost to Seattle (29-13).
Patriots QB Drake Maye is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL entering his third season and New England’s defense is coming off a 2025 season in which they ranked fourth in points allowed (18.8) and eighth in total defense (295.2).
This is the second of Detroit’s 2026 matchups to be announced early (Week 2 TNF in Buffalo). The rest of the Lions schedule will be revealed Thursday evening.
