As the saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way. While many of Philadelphia VIP’s low-income clients make a way without a will and testament, the path is much smoother with one.

Take the case of former VIP client, Mr. Preston (not his real name), who lived in his parents’ house in Overbrook for 19 years. Preston spent much of his time providing care for his parents and appreciated the stability a family home afforded them. His father and mother passed away without wills in 2003 and 2010, respectively. After their deaths, Preston continued to live in and care for the property, but could not reap the benefits of legal homeownership. He fell behind on the real estate taxes and had trouble entering into a payment plan, despite his willingness to do so. His home had been affected by water damage over the years, but, lacking legal title, he could not obtain a homeowners insurance plan to cover such damage. And when Preston attempted to secure a loan to fix the damage, he learned he needed title to do that as well.