Tickets are still available for Michael Che’s benefit show for public housing residents in New York City.
"There’s somehow still a few tix left for the Jan. 11 show … you should buy them if you haven’t. It’s gonna be a fun show and a GREAT cause," the "Saturday Night Live" comedian posted to his Instagram page.
The stand-up and Weekend Update co-anchor will bring "A Night for NYCHA" to Irving Plaza at 7 p.m. Friday. "Roastmaster General" Jeff Ross will host, and Che will be joined by comic Michelle Wolf and a "top secret lineup," he announced in his Instagram story last month.
Che, a New York City native, wrote, "A lot of residents don’t have heat this winter," according to the Daily News. "This money could really help. I grew up in a building like that, and it’s really tough."
Proceeds from the comedy event will go to the Fund for Public Housing, a nonprofit that works with private and public partners to aid NYCHA and its residents.
General admission standing room tickets are available at livenation.com, for $65 each.
"You’re not gonna wanna miss this," Che wrote. "100% of the money goes to people in public housing, that don’t have heat."
But Che doesn’t only want those attenting the show to help raise funds. He’s started a GoFundMe for fans who want to help, but can’t attend Friday’s event.
"Last year, 350,000 NYCHA residents lost heat and hot water during the coldest months of the year," the campaign reads. "Already this year, 35K residents are without and that number is expected to grow."
The GoFundMe raised just under $7,000, a few thousand shy of its $10,000 goal, as of Tuesday evening.
New York City’s embattled public housing agency, which last month was named the city’s "worst landlord" by former Public Advocate Letitia James, faces an uncertain future with a federal takeover possible. NYCHA has been accused of being dangerously slow to remediate lead paint issues in its buildings, and then misleading the government and the public about the risk it posed. Additionally, many of its residents suffered through last winter with little to no heat in their apartments.
Most recently, a proposed settlement meant to address the lead issue and other housing violations was rejected by a federal judge, scuttling plans to appoint a monitor and devote at least $1.2 billion to repairs. Instead, the city and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development have until Jan. 31 to reach a new agreement.
Mayor Bill de Blasio met last month with Ben Carson, HUD’s secretary, to try to avert a possible federal takeover of the agency.
With Meghan Giannotta
