AFL-CIO HIT Mourns the Passing of former CEO Steve Coyle

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and former AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT) Chief Executive Officer Steve Coyle.  A true force of nature, Steve was a lifelong champion of working men and women. He worked tirelessly his whole life to ensure that families could find affordable housing and earn a decent living. Throughout his more than 50-year career, Steve made a difference – for many people whom he knew personally and for thousands he did not.

Through the bold initiatives that he led early in his career at the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Steve helped to transform the City of Boston. Later, he would bring that same energy to the HIT where he had a nearly magical ability to take an idea and make it real. He was passionate about what he did for a living. For him, it was personal. As the 11th of 14 children, Steve saw firsthand the impact on his family and his community when urban renewal forced members of his extended family out of South Boston. They were dispersed and forced to relocate, causing tremendous hardship. Witnessing this lack of housing security at a young age ignited Steve’s lifelong commitment to the creation of affordable housing for those in need, even in the very neighborhood where he once lived.  Steve’s devotion to the cause was the catalyst for what he helped build at the HIT.

During his 26 years at the HIT, the fund invested in 435 projects representing $14 billion in total development activity. The result:  more than 99,000 housing units, 67,000 on-site union construction jobs, and $28 billion in economic impact. While those numbers are indeed impressive, Steve believed the most critical role the HIT played was that of a committed partner to those at the grassroots level who wanted to make a difference in their communities.

Steve’s stewardship of the organization helped the HIT become what it is today, a powerful tool for labor and working families that generates significant housing opportunities in the most responsible way. He was the kindest of souls who touched countless lives and careers. He supported and encouraged his employees in both their professional and personal lives. Steve often said that happy employees were productive employees. The extraordinary dedication of those who today work at the HIT counts as one of the greatest legacies that he leaves us. The world has lost an exceptional friend and colleague, a loving grandfather, father and husband, and a true visionary and humanitarian. Steve Coyle will be remembered forever with love and fondness by all who knew him.