Legacy  ·  A HomeForce Initiative

Protect
what you built.

Homeownership in Detroit isn’t a dream deferred — it’s a next step. Legacy is HomeForce’s homeownership pillar. Three pathways. One belief: that there is enough for everyone, and we are all in this together.

Protect what you built..

Get Started See the Pathways
The HomeForce Housing Continuum
Workforce→ Rental Readiness→ Stable Housing→ Ownership→ Industry
Pathway One
Community Land Trust
Own your home. Share the land. Permanently affordable, permanently yours.
Pathway Two
Traditional Homeownership
HUD-certified counseling, buyer education, and down payment assistance — the full path, with support.
Pathway Three
Fractional Ownership
Start building equity now. Community-based investment that grows into full ownership.

Legacy isn’t a government program. It isn’t a waiting list. It’s a promise — that the wealth this city has always generated can come back to the people who built it. Detroit families aren’t asking for charity. They’re asking for the door.

We’re holding it open.

How It Works

Three ways we
protect your home.

Every homeowner’s situation is different. Legacy meets you where you are — whether you’re planning ahead, navigating an estate, or ready to transition on your terms.

01
Transfer to Abayomi CDC

Nonprofit Acquisition

Ready to transition but want to make sure your home stays in community hands? Abayomi CDC acquires your property at a fair value, rehabilitates it through the Build workforce, and places a new owner from the Ready pipeline. Your home protects the next family — not a speculative investor.

Fair market valuation — no lowball investor offers
CLT, outright purchase, or rent-to-own — decided together
Property stays community-owned — not speculative
Legal support for a clean, dignified transfer
02
Transfer to an Heir

Heir Preparation & Legal Succession

Have a family member who wants to keep the home? We help you build a clear legal succession plan — will, transfer-on-death deed, or living trust — so your heir never faces heirs’ property complications. If they need preparation for ownership, they enter the Ready homeownership pathway.

Clear title and legal succession plan documented
Heir preparation through Ready homeownership pathway
Post-transfer support — 6, 12, and 24-month check-ins
Heirs’ property resolution when title is unclear
03
Not Sure Yet

Estate Planning & Counseling

Not sure what you want to do with your home? Start with a conversation. Our counselors help long-term homeowners understand their options — before a health crisis, a tax issue, or an investor letter forces a decision. Planning ahead keeps the choice yours.

No pressure — explore your options at your own pace
Free counseling session — no commitment required
Understand heirs’ property risk before it becomes a crisis
Connect to legal resources when you are ready

Our Foundation

28 years of
community trust.

Legacy isn’t a new idea dropped into a community. It’s the next chapter of work that started in 1997 — when Abayomi Community Development Corporation planted itself on Detroit’s west side and decided to stay.

HomeForce is an Abayomi CDC initiative. That matters because homeownership programs succeed or fail based on trust — and trust is something you earn over decades, not something you launch with a press release. We’ve been here. We’re still here. That’s the foundation Legacy is built on.

1997
Abayomi CDC Founded
W. Side
Detroit — Our Home
HUD
Certified Agency
Learn About Abayomi CDC →
What Legacy means
There is enough.
Scarcity is a design choice. Detroit has the land, the housing stock, and the community to support ownership at scale. Legacy is built on that belief.
We are in this together.
Communal wealth building means when one household gains equity, the neighborhood gains stability. Every Legacy homeowner is an asset to the people around them.
The door is open.
Legacy isn’t about qualifying for someone else’s program. It’s about knowing the door is open — and having someone walk through it with you.
Protect what you built..
Whatever that looks like for you — a shared equity home, a mortgage, a stake in something bigger. Legacy has a path.

Launching 2026

Legacy is coming.
Get on the list.

Whether you’re a Detroit resident thinking about homeownership, a community organization aligned with this mission, or a funder who believes in what we’re building — reach out now. The door is already open.

Get in Touch