Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

NYC TikToker Goes Viral With Candid Video About What It Was Like To Grow Up In Public Housing

Stories of public housing in New York City
@jayah.a/TikTok

TikToker Jayah Arnett shared an eye-opening look into what the inside of a public housing apartment actually is like.

We've inevitably all heard stereotypes about what it's like to live in public housing or income-based housing, and most of those stereotypes are overwhelmingly negative and judgmental.

One woman in New York City, a TikToker named Jayah Arnett, decided to use the power of social media to show everyone that growing up in public housing is a much different experience than what is often portrayed.


Arnett started her TikTok channel to share life in New York City, stories of culture, and her project, "My Projects Runway," which is an artistic and cultural examination of people's real experiences growing up and living in public housing.

You can watch her first video here:

@jayah.a

New York City Public Housing Exhibition “Community Matriarchs of NYCHA” curated by Jayah.a founder of @myprojectsrunway #newyork #nyc #nycha #exhibit

Arnett demonstrates a great amount of pride for her project in the first video, which quickly gained moderate but overwhelmingly positive attention with nearly 7000 views.

Arnett then went on to share her personal story of growing up in public housing alongside her mother. She described it as a comforting and family-friendly environment, and one where a closely-knit community was bound to grow.

Arnett reflected in the video:

“Growing up in public housing was a different experience."
"I remember the day that my mom first got her apartment. She was excited to call something her own. I remember it being a sense of freedom, not having to live in other family members' homes."
"Despite the stereotypes placed on people, I want others to know that the inside of these homes are usually carefully curated from their kitchen to the living room with their random figurines [sitting] out that reflect our spiritual beliefs, cases of pictures with memories from childhood..."
"The people who are living in public housing are just that: people who have stories and experiences in real life situations."
"To some, the projects may just be the hood, but for others, this is the best experience they’ve had because it’s better than what they’ve known."

You can watch that video here:

@jayah.a

Join our #FeelingAtHome campaign, a partnership between the National Public Housing Museum (@thenphm IG) and My Projects Runway (@my.projectsrunway IG), celebrating the creative imagination and brilliant efforts of public housing residents to create a lot from a little. Beyond the deferred maintenance and unassuming and conventional exteriors of public housing project buildings, there are often apartment units with unique, enthralling, and carefully curated interiors. To participate in this campaign, post a photo of your stylish public housing interior, past or present, tag @thenphm and @myprojectsrunway, use #FeelingAtHome, and share a memory in the caption. Or, use the link in our bio to submit. #nycha #publichousing #newyork #projects #FeelingAtHome #thehood #memories #theprojects #hoodmemorial #newyorkcity #publichousingliving #home #manhattan #bronx #carverhouses #clintonhouses

Fellow TikTokers were overcome by the video and shared their similar experiences.

@jayah.a/TikTok

@jayah.a/TikTok

@jayah.a/TikTok

@jayah.a/TikTok

@jayah.a/TikTok

@jayah.a/TikTok

@jayah.a/TikTok

@jayah.a/TikTok

@jayah.a/TikTok

@jayah.a/TikTok

While we may not all share the same experiences growing up, it's important for us to hear others' stories and understand where they are coming from. This not only gives us a chance to learn something new, but it makes us more well-rounded and empathetic people. Plus, it's truly heartwarming to hear others' stories of home.

More from Trending

Dr. Mehmet Oz
Fox News

Dr. Oz Slammed After His 'Credit Card' Health Care Analogy Goes Completely Off The Rails

Snake oil salesman Dr. Mehmet Oz—now the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services—was criticized after he tried to discuss U.S. health insurance providers' pledge to speed up the prior authorization process by oddly comparing it to a "credit card," underscoring just how much he doesn't understand the job he currently holds.

Earlier this week, major U.S. health insurers—including Cigna, Aetna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare—announced a set of reforms aimed at simplifying the often frustrating prior authorization process for patients and providers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jon Ossoff and Russell Vought
@atrupar/X

Jon Ossoff Lays Into Project 2025 Architect For Trying To Gut The CDC In Fiery Takedown

Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff criticized Project 2025 architect and current Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought during a Senate appropriations hearing for the Trump administration's austere spending cuts that are currently focused on slashing the budget and workforce of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Ossoff pressed Russell Vought on the administration’s decision to cut the agency’s budget by nearly half and on the loss of roughly 25% of its workforce.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for SiriusXM; Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett pointed out President Donald Trump's hypocrisy on immigration considering how First Lady Melania Trump's pathway to citizenship was possible because she received an "Einstein visa," which is usually reserved for an individual with "some sort of significant achievement."

Speaking during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,” Crockett noted that “the idea that Trump and my Republican colleagues want to restore integrity and security in the visa process is actually a joke," and harshly criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and visa restrictions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jennifer Griffin and Pete Hegseth
The Hill

Fox Host Comes To Reporter's Defense After Pete Hegseth Berates Her At Pentagon Briefing

Fox News' chief political analyst Brit Hume came to the defense of Fox national security reporter Jennifer Griffin after their former colleague, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticized Griffin as the reporter "who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, had criticized media outlets—including his former network—for what he described as unpatriotic reporting. Hegseth took particular aim at early intelligence assessments suggesting that President Donald Trump's bombing of Iran may not have significantly crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Keep ReadingShow less

Teachers Share The Questions Students Asked In Class That Broke Their Hearts

Being a teacher is a calling.

It is not for the meek or weak of heart.

Keep ReadingShow less