VALE Timeline
The Community Land Trust (CLT) movement has a rich history in the U.S. and abroad that our work would not be possible without. You can check out timelines of this history here, via the International Center for CLTs, and here, via Roots and Branches. The Connecticut River Valley is a foundational part of CLT movement history, dating back to 1977 when Valley CLT was first incorporated by Civil Rights activists and Peacemakers, Wally and Juanita Nelson. In 1981, the Institute for Community Economics moved to Greenfield, MA, making our community a hub for shared equity and long-term affordable homeownership through the CLT model.
5/28/24-5/29/24 Housing and Land Justice Retreat
A group of 45 local CLT practitioners, cooperators, and thinkers from diverse, land-based liberation efforts convened for an intensive two-days at Wally and Juanita Nelson’s historic homestead at Woolman Hill in Deerfield, MA to strategize around how to scale up the availability of permanently affordable, democratically-governed, shared equity opportunities for land and housing here in the Connecticut River Valley. From their collaboration and genius, the Valley Alliance for Land Equity (VALE) was created in order to broaden and strengthen CLT reach in our community.
Franklin County CLT Provides VALE Full Sponsorship
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VALE Awards our First Grant to Lower Valley CLT
VALE was able to fund $10,000 to support the Lower Valley CLT to create a Community Member Stipend Fund and support the leadership of more low- and moderate-income Holyoke and Springfield residents. These funds allow residents to dedicate more time and effort to the CLT work than would have otherwise been possible and provide means to support residents in building their skillset and capacity for grassroots CLT governance.
8/20/2025 VALE Hires First Staff Member
VALE created the second CLT job in the Valley with the hire of our Communications Director in August of 2025. The Communications Director at VALE is responsible for providing overall coordination of VALE, administratively supporting the efforts of all VALE Circles, fundraising, community engagement and outreach, document management, and event logistics.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur dignissim neque metus, non porttitor purus cursus non. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Duis faucibus lacus sed nulla congue congue. Morbi a ligula lobortis, maximus orci in, egestas dui. Duis fringilla ut nunc vitae vulputate.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur dignissim neque metus, non porttitor purus cursus non. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Duis faucibus lacus sed nulla congue congue. Morbi a ligula lobortis, maximus orci in, egestas dui. Duis fringilla ut nunc vitae vulputate.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur dignissim neque metus, non porttitor purus cursus non. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Duis faucibus lacus sed nulla congue congue. Morbi a ligula lobortis, maximus orci in, egestas dui. Duis fringilla ut nunc vitae vulputate.