The Boston Housing Authority was saddened to learn of the passing of longtime Orchard Gardens resident leader Val Shelley earlier this week. Val has advocated for Orchard Gardens residents and other BHA families for many decades, and took over the leadership of the Orchard Gardens tenant taskforce when her sister, Edna Bynoe, died in 2010.

Val was born and raised at the Orchard Park Public Housing development in 1948 as the sixth of ten sisters. She left Orchard Park in 1966 after she graduated high school, and went on to work as a secretary for three lawyers and later for Boston Public Schools. Her sisters, including former Orchard Park resident leader Edna Bynoe, remained in public housing as it underwent redevelopment in the 1990’s. In 1999, after Val retired and returned to the newly-named Orchard Gardens community and helped her sister advocate for their neighbors in the community.

“Val was an amazing friend and always took the time to help others,” BHA RAB Board member Edna Willrich said. “People would come to her, and if she could help somebody, she’d always do it. She went to all the different organizations in the neighborhood to make sure that her community was taken care of. She had a big heart and was so passionate about her community. When Edna died, Val knew it was important to step up. When Edna Bynoe passed away in 2010, Val took on the role of President of the Orchard Gardens Tenant Taskforce, and carried on her sister’s legacy.

Beyond her work at Orchard Gardens, many BHA employees remember Val as a neighbor in Roxbury, as their school guidance counselor, and as a friend. Val was an amazing human being who touched a lot of lives.

“My hope is that we get residents to see that they have a voice. To get residents to see not only do they have a voice, but they have a voice that can be heard if they get out,” Val said in an interview with UMASS Boston in 2018. ” I just like people to understand that community is what you make of it. If you live somewhere you need to be part of the community. The community is not your house. Community is knowing your neighbors, and what is around you and being a part of that.”

Val was also a long-time member and served as Chair of the BHA’s Resident Advisory Board, which reviews BHA policy changes along with the BHA’s Annual and Five-Year Plans.  She has been a steadfast and dedicated leader amongst BHA public housing and Section 8 residents across the city for many years; she will be sorely missed by many BHA residents, staff and advocates.

Read and listen to Val’s full interview here.