Project could help needy Mississippi families hold onto land
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A nonprofit law firm announced a new project to help low-income families hold onto inherited land in more than half of Mississippi’s counties. Advocates said Thursday that it could help preserve biological diversity by promoting better forest management in the Mobile Bay Basin. The problem centers on “heirs’ property” that’s passed down without a will. The land becomes owned by multiple family members. It can lack legal documentation and be vulnerable to takeover by others. Or, it can be lost when property taxes are not paid on time. Mississippi Center for Justice will provide legal help, using a model developed by a group in South Carolina.
