'SNL's' Michael Che pays rent for 160 apartments in a New York City public housing building where is grandmother, who died on COVID-19, once lived

• "Saturday Night Live" comedian Michael Che is paying rent for 160 apartments in a New York City public housing building.
• Che announced the financial contribution on Instagram, and he said it would be made "in the spirit and memory of my late grandmother" who died of COVID-19.
• He said that while his contribution was "just a drop in the bucket," he hoped the city would develop a better plan for supporting people who live in public housing "at the very least."
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"Saturday Night Live" comedian Michael Che said that he would be paying rent for all 160 apartments in a New York City public housing building that his grandmother, who died of the new coronavirus on April 6, once lived in.

The 36-year-old, who co-hosts SNL's "Weekend Update" segment, announced on Instagram that he would be making the financial contribution "in the spirit and memory of my late grandmother."

A post shared by Michael Che (@chethinks)Apr 15, 2020 at 4:26pm PDT

"It's crazy to me that residents of public housing are still expected to pay their rent when so many New Yorkers can't even work," he wrote in a post on Instagram.

He said that while his contribution was "just a drop in the bucket," he hoped the city would develop a better plan for supporting people who live in public housing "at the very least."

He also called on local officials and celebrities to come together to support a solution for the issue of debt forgiveness.

"De Blasio! Cuomo! Let's fix this! Page me!" he wrote.

Che clarified in a comment on his Instagram post that his grandmother had not lived in the public housing unit since "like 1990" but said that the building "is very significant in my family's history." New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has praised Che as "extraordinary New Yorker who grew up in [New York City public housing], and never forgot where he came from."

Che announced on Instagram that his grandmother passed away from COVID-19 on April 6, though the post has since been deleted, along with many of his previous posts.

"I'm doing ok, considering," he wrote. "I'm obviously very hurt and angry that she had to go through all that pain alone. But I'm also happy that she's not in pain anymore. And I also feel guilty for feeling happy. Basically the whole gamut of complex feelings everybody else has losing someone very close and special. I'm not unique. But it's still scary."

After announcing his grandmother's death, he also gave a shoutout on Instagram to others who grew up in similar public housing projects.

"Special shoutout to the people that's [sic] growing up the way I grew up, and that are living in conditions that I lived in," he wrote. "To the people in project buildings and prisons and shelters and on the streets, it's hard to not feel ignored, when these communities are getting hit the hardest."

"All I can say is, there's nobody stronger and more resilient than my community," he added. "And this is one more thing we gotta do together."

The New York Times wrote in March that as many as 40% of tenants in New York City may not be able to afford rent in April.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered a 90-day moratorium on evictions from March 16, though rental payments are still obligated to be paid.

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