Our guest speakers will be..
Kristopher Smith, Senior Community Development Program Officer, and
John Sapora, Senior Housing Resiliency Program Officer at LISC Jacksonville
Research by United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service researchers G. Rebecca Dobbs and Cassandra Johnson Gaither estimates that more than 444,000 heirs’ property parcels, spanning 9.2 million acres and representing approximately $41.3 billion in market value, exist across the United States. These properties often lack clear legal title, creating barriers that can lead to probate disputes, forced sales, limited access to financing, and the erosion of generational wealth.
During this briefing, Kristopher Smith and John Sapora will examine the scope of the heirs’ property challenge, its impact on families and communities, and practical strategies for preserving homeownership. They will also highlight how LISC Jacksonville’s Heirs’ Property Toolkit is equipping organizations and communities with resources for education, outreach, and intervention to help families resolve title issues, retain ownership, access critical financing, and protect the equity they have built over generations.
Whether you are a housing practitioner, community development professional, lender, policymaker, or nonprofit leader, this session will provide valuable insights into effective approaches for addressing heirs’ property and advancing equitable homeownership.
Kristopher Smith is the LISC National Heirs Practice Lead and Senior Community Development Program Officer based in Jacksonville, Florida where he co-leads heirs-prevention and wealth-preservation initiatives that advance estate-planning uptake and anti-displacement efforts. He facilitates collaborative work with local government, CDFIs, GSEs, and philanthropic partners to scale capital-plus-services models that safeguard assets, stabilize neighborhoods, and unlock generational wealth.
He holds a Master of Arts in public administration from Nova Southeastern University, a Bachelor of Arts in public science from Bethune-Cookman University, and a certification in entrepreneurship education from Babson College.
John Sapora joined LISC Jacksonville in 2019 as Senior Housing Resiliency Program Officer where he promotes neighborhood-based interventions that help residents in formerly-redlined neighborhoods build family wealth through homeownership, including legal assistance to address heirs’ property, appraisal devaluations and a home repair collaborative that integrates energy efficiency and weatherization to promote health, cost savings and storm resiliency.
John’s previous experience includes working as tenant intake attorney at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and 16 years as national legal counsel for The First Tee youth development program. John also practiced real estate and finance law in Jacksonville, and continues to advise faith communities and nonprofit organizations.
John has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law, a Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, and a B.A. in History from the University of Illinois.
