Type above and press Enter to search. or redistributed. , updated From Daily Mail: Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental . The program, ThriveNYC, has fallen far behind its goals and appears to be a massive failure for the city. Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she champions has gone, according to reports. Chirlane McCray is the face of ThriveNYC an $850 million dollar administration initiative she helped design to improve the citys mental health and substance abuse services. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post.The City Council discovered this shocking amount of potential waste during a Mental health first aid classes include discussions and role playing; Ms. McCray implores people to take the course, but has not yet been able to get her husband to do it. ", Sometimes you look at a headline like this and think: "that can't possibly be true.". One, fromCity Hall, showed $594million in spending, but a second, from the Independent Budget Office, showed $816milion. Chirlane McCray can't explain where the $850m in funding has gone after it was given to the organizationshe runs, ThriveNYC. Ms. McCray, for example, seldom talks about Thrive without imploring audience to repeat the number of its mental health hotline, 1-888-NYC-WELL. Fast-forward to Wednesday, when the City Council was startled to discover that McCray and Team Thrive are closing in on having spent an eye-popping $900 million since the programs inception and nobody seems to have a clue on what. Right up there with co-Mayor Bill, who started the week on his own sour note announcing that his signature Renewal school program was closing up shop after pounding $773 million down a rathole. I'm not sure anybody does.'. In the three years it has been running, organizers at ThriveNYC have largely failed to keep records of the initiative's achievements - and data that has been collected shows it lagging . The Thrive program, which had its budget raised to $250 million per year in 2019, has produced some underwhelming numbers in terms of how many people it impacts. Thats because there never was any doubt what the program was about. But over the course of two years between 2016 and 2018 the hospital screened a little over 28,000 patients and just 570 were offered help, a fraction of the 12,000 to 15,000 who were estimated to need care. Officials are also collecting survey data. This news comes as the mayor is consideringlaying off up to 22,000 municipal workers in the falldue to budget constraints related to COVID-19. Mayor Bill de Blasio's Wife Loses $850 Million Dollars. Chris Pleasance for MailOnline His wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $850 million for a mental health program she was spearheading, The Daily Mail reported. But the co-mayor made performance promises when he initiated the Renewal program, few of which even remotely were met, and presently gravity prevailed: The program caved in on itself. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. With Thrive, spending rose to $346 million in fiscal year 2018, according to an analysis by the City Council. If this is the highest level of care, she asked, how many success stories are there really?, Chirlane McCray, de Blasios Wife, Is Questioned Over His Revolutionary $1 Billion Mental Health Plan, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/nyregion/thrivenyc-mental-health-.html. Bill de Blasio's wife can't account for staggering amount of taxpayer money that the NY Mayor gave her for mental health project . I dont know if we have them available yet, but we certainly are tracking what people are calling about, what theyre asking for, and as much demographic information as we can, McCray said. "I like the fact that money is going toward mental health, but when they say we're seeing a benefit in all areas, I take exception to that, because I don't see it everywhere," Queens Councilman Robert Holden told The Post. Advertisement - story continues below @NYCMayor and 'co-mayor' wife @NYCFirstLady have wasted $1.8B of taxpayer money https://t.co/gT7Lb67zI0, Brooklyn Republicans (@KingsCountyGOP) March 1, 2019, https://twitter.com/CGasparino/status/1101548456999616512, "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion." Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. Read our full Disclosure. De Blasio did not say hed pursue a change in the law and acknowledged there were good historical reasons for the rule. Think Stockholm syndrome, rolled into a big ball with the United Federation of Teachers. He was told a team like that could not come for at least a day, maybe two; for immediate help, call 911. Powerful personality ChirlaneMcCrayisapoliticalfigureintheUnitedStates,aswellasawriter,communicationsexpert,editor,andactivist. Thrive would then refer them to counseling, which is considered an effective way to treat the problem. Well, he didnt actually say rathole, and the price tag has doubtless been lowballed but he also had no credible explanation for the debacle, nor did he apologize for it. Questions have mounted in recent days over McCrays expansive role in high-level City Hall decisions, despite having no official title other than wife of the mayor. This story has been shared 175,437 times. I felt like I was not able to function., But City Hall is still struggling to quantify the payoff from her efforts. His wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $850 million for a mental health program she was spearheading, The Daily Mail reported. But alsomayoral spouseChirlane McCray, who has just been revealed as a world-class boondoggler in her own right. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. That first year, she began talking with Dr. Belkin. All rights reserved. Seven mayors attended a 2017 national mental health conference in New York City. De Blasio and 'co-mayor' wife have wasted $1.8B of taxpayer money Fast-forward to Wednesday, when the City Council was startled to discover that McCray and Team Thrive are closing in on having spent an eye-popping $900 million since the program's inception and nobody seems to have a clue on what. Bob McManus harshly assessed the program's effectivenessfor the New York Post: The NY Post reports that among multiple failed programs and "bad accounting", the figure is actually not $850 million but rather $1.8 BILLION! At the same time, some initiatives failed to get started, while others placed unrealistic demands on already strained mental health services. At least one available barometer hinted at the challenges that the city still faces in dealing with mental illness: More New Yorkers dialed 911 to report a person in the midst of a mental health crisis last year 179,000 calls than at any point in more than a decade. That the co-mayors could fly under the radar to burn through $1.6 billion to no obvious good effect is an embarrassment but understandable in the abstract. Health Department employees now conduct the eight-hour classes daily at churches, community centers and schools, like this one at Metropolitan College of New York. Hey, its Noah and I want to make sure were connected on Twitter. Thats because there never was any doubt what the program was about. And while it sounds good to spend heavily on a mental health initiative, it appears that nobody has noticed any real benefits from that investment. The officers eventually brought him to Elmhurst Hospital, nearby. We cant have a universality in this from day one, he added. Weve actually built the first rational approach to the real scope and breadth of the need. During a recent visit, a screen played YouTube videos of adorable animals, to help soothe staff members who work in sound-dampened cubicles. That is, reversing Bloomberg administration plans to shut down 100 miserably malfunctioning schools, thus saving the jobs of barely competent teachers and administrators and shutting up small bands of noisy parents who loved the schools despite their failings. The data comes from aPoliticoreport that shows those running the scheme have largely failed to measure its impact or keep track of spending. Dr. Anitha Iyer, right, who helps oversee the call center for the citys mental health hotline, speaks to Dr. Gary Belkin, left, chief of policy and strategy at ThriveNYC. But even in spite of that the city has decided to increase the budget of the program which is expected to spend $5 billion in the next five years. The 14-page report, acquired by POLITICO this month, seeks to evaluate the programs performance, but does not provide a clear picture on what it has accomplished thus far. The City Council discovered this shocking amount of potential waste during a meeting Wednesday. DE BLASIO EXTENDS STATE OF EMERGENCY IN NEW YORK FOR ANOTHER 30 DAYS, "That article [referring to The City story]didn't take into account the work that's being done," de Blasio said. The site said it had tried and failed to acquire a line-item budget from Thrive, and the two budget breakdowns it had seen showed wildly different numbers. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. Frustration over Thrives veteran outreach program spilled over into a tense Council hearing just this week. De Blasio insisted McCray is just as available to questions as he is, despite a majority of the first ladys events having no question and answer period. We cant turn on a switch one day and then screen 120,000 women a year, Gary Belkin, policy and strategy chief of Thrive, said in an interview, referring to how many women he estimated give birth each year. (Hes kind of busy, she said.). ). Two locations have been selected, in East Harlem and the Bronx, but neither has opened yet. Now we have to shift into another phase.. Chirlane McCray has made her advocacy on behalf of mental health a big part of Thrive, as she seeks to erase the stigma around seeking services. Those moments often involve the police, and have led to confrontations where officers have been injured, and the person the officers came to help getting physically hurt or killed. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. But lets be clear: If your boondogglery sets the New York City Council back on its heels, you truly are soaring with the eagles. Thank you for contacting us. Good thing it wasn't an even $1 billion, huh? Does anybody know how well more likely, how poorly the co-mayors hugely expensive pre-K program is working, especially that portion consigned to the citys notoriously problematic not-for-profit sector? How many other big-bucks initiatives are in similar straits is unknowable mostly because bureaucrats never blow the whistle on themselves and also because Gothams formal watchdog, city Comptroller Scott Stringer, is among the most incurious individuals ever to hold the office. Besides the ramped-up spending, a big part of Thrive has been Ms. McCrays advocacy. Some requested anonymity for fear of retaliation while others were more vocal in their critiques. What do they always tell you when youre in high school or in college? Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she champions has gone, according to reports. Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. McCray is the proprietress of ThriveNYC, a mental-health-related something-or-other created four-plus years ago to give a little heft to the conceit that Bill and Chirlane were elected as co-mayors which is nonsense on stilts. Meanwhile, de Blasio announced earlier this week that he is mothballing his failed Renewal school program after spending $773million. They have good ideas, but the implementation is what they stumble on, said Steve Coe, the chief executive of Community Access, which provides housing and other services to the mentally ill. Thrives primary focus is on the other end of the spectrum: New Yorkers who have less serious and possibly undiagnosed mental health problems, a population that according to City Hall encompasses 1.7 million city residents. New York is supposed to be better than that. 19:12 GMT 01 Mar 2019. It is meant to target low-income individuals who are often priced out of mental health care because those services are typically not covered by insurance. (Separately, the Health Department spends nearly 10 times as much on the seriously mentally ill.), Ms. Herman stressed more than once during the hearing that Thrive was not a new mental health system. That message contrasted one repeated by Mr. de Blasio, including during a radio interview on Friday. POLITICO filed a records request for the programs line-item budget in October 2018, but the city has twice requested an extension. Think Stockholm syndrome, rolled into a big ball with the United Federation of Teachers. The money was going to NYC's Thrive program for people with mental health problems that is overseen by McCray. POLITICO spoke to more than 16 people, including elected officials, advocates, representatives of community organizations, researchers and consultants who said that although it is crucial for the city to invest in mental health resources, they did not know whether Thrive was successful and said the city has an obligation to publicize its numbers and how it compares to the goals it set out to accomplish. . More than $15 million has been budgeted over the last three years for the effort; none has been spent. Things happen. With over 22,000 layoffs of city workers looming, the mayor cant seriously expect to keep funding full-time, highly paid speechwriters and professional videographers for his wifes political ambitions. Thrive is really corrective to the narrowness with which we approach this issue, which leaves a lot of people without care, a lot of people untouched, a lot of people not getting what they need, and its precisely the need to widen it that were trying to fix.. SheisalsothechairmanoftheMayorsFundtoAdvanceNewYorkCityandtheexecutivedirectorofThriveNYC. But the budget discrepancies illustrate the difficulty in tracking Thrive. Something happened that triggered the need for me to go, she said without elaborating. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $900 million to start a mental health initiative focusing on helping the homeless in the city. Of the 78,000 newborn deliveries in the city annually, only 28,560 new mothers have been screened by the Thrive program. His wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $850 million for a mental health program she was spearheading, The Daily Mail reported. 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(Hes kind of busy, she said. 12:52 GMT 01 Mar 2019 Run by the mayors wife and closest adviser, Chirlane McCray, ThriveNYC sought to tackle issues like substance use, depression and suicide. Breaking, Federal Appeals Court Rules Ohio Can Enforce Ban on Aborting Babies With Down Syndrome, Biden, Dems Have Found a Creative New Way To Mess With The Election, They're Calling For Virtual Voting, Are You Working For CNN? Trump Goes Off On Fox News Reporter For Parroting Democrat Talking Points, Democrat Frontrunner Joe Biden Says His Running Mate Could Be Michigan Governor Whitmer, In One Of The Worst Moments In The History of TV News CNN Decided To Not Air Trump's Start To The Daily Briefing. For all the talk, the initiative has been less sweeping than envisioned: A third of the budget has not been spent, according to an analysis of city data by The New York Times. Its safe again and were having a lot of fun over there. Now, a year later, the city is rejiggering the program once again to include a centralized office and further engrain the initiatives into city agencies to ensure that Thrive outlasts the de Blasio administration. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! The data delineates each program within Thrive and tries to measure the initiatives reach within a given timeline. For instance, Thrive calculates how many mayors attended a national conference on mental health just seven when New York City hosted it in 2017. During a meeting,the City Council learned this astounding amount of potential waste. They sent a whole army of police, said the father, who asked to be referred to only by his first name, Ralph, to protect his sons privacy. The biggest challenge for Mr. de Blasio and Ms. McCray has been to identify concrete results. Of the 19 events, only three were advertised as being open to questions from reporters. That is, reversing Bloomberg administration plans to shut down 100 miserably malfunctioning schools, thus saving the jobs of barely competent teachers and administrators and shutting up small bands of noisy parents who loved the schools despite their failings. Heres How (and When) To Watch President Trump At CPAC. Please check your email inbox to confirm your message and send it to our editorial team. No, Dr. Gary Belkin, a top health official and the chief of policy and strategy for Thrive, said of using the hotline to connect people to care effectively. The biggest challenge for Mr. de Blasio and Ms.. McCrays office provided The CIty with names of eight full-time employees whose salaries added up to about $1.1 million. For example, 29 hospitals had agreed to screen almost 78,000 new mothers for post-natal depression each year as part of the scheme. But now, that money cannot be accounted for, and . Stop the censors, sign up to get today's top stories delivered right to your inbox. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $900 million to start a mental health initiative focusing on helping the homeless in the city. De Blasio cancels high-costing Renewal school program, With opaque budget and elusive metrics, $850M ThriveNYC program attempts a reset, Chirlane McCray's 'Thrive' initiative on track to spend $1B in 5 years. https://t.co/fqUIyfFc8Z, John Naturally Immune Cardillo (@johncardillo) March 1, 2019. The city comptroller is also investigating. It is not, in the end, just about money. He receives regular visits from a psychiatrist and a peer counselor. We invite you to become a WeLoveTrump insider. Fast-forward to Wednesday, when the City Council was startled to discover that McCray and Team Thrive are closing in on havingspent an eye-popping $900 millionsince the programs inception and nobody seems to have a clue on what. (Some are repeat callers, with a few who call as many as 200 times a day.). This story has been shared 121,909 times. 2023 Ghanafuo.com & DM Network. Later, she wondered aloud whether her work with men like Mr. Abreu would be enough. Bill de Blasio wife: Meet Chirlane McCray. Its safe again and were having a lot of fun over there. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. City officials, for example, could not say how many people have been connected to treatment after calling the citys new mental health hotline, because fewer than 10 percent agree to a follow-up. She took a mental health first aid course in October 2014. But the police are still often the only ones available to respond quickly to calls, even to the mental health line. Much of the development of Thrive was personal, born of Mr. de Blasios and Ms. McCrays own difficulties navigating the mental health system on behalf of their daughter, Chiara, who struggled with depression and drugs during high school and college. The data comes from a Politico report that shows those running the scheme have largely failed to measure its impact or keep track of spending. How many other big-bucks initiatives are in similar straits is unknowable mostly because bureaucrats never blow the whistle on themselves and also because Gothams formal watchdog, city Comptroller Scott Stringer, is among the most incurious individuals ever to hold the office. That Stringer could sleep through it all is the real scandal; why does the city even have a comptroller, if thats the standard of performance? Tap here to add The Western Journal to your home screen. The mayor and first lady have falsely declared stigma rather than lack of services as being the major barrier faced by the seriously mentally ill thereby justifying the diversion of funds to public relations campaigns rather than services, DJ Jaffe, executive director of Mental Illness Policy Organization, an advocacy group, wrote in an email. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. Were US Rail Workers Instructed to Bypass Railcar Safety Inspections? That is, nobody appears to have kept receipts; the subways and street corners are still overrun with crazy people, and nobody in charge knows whats to happen next. Things happen. Think Stockholm syndrome, rolled into a big ball with the United Federation of Teachers. That it should happen in a single week is worse its an embarrassment. Before the Thrive initiative, he said, there was not even a pretense of a mental health system in the city.. Thrive entered a resetting phase two years after implementation, which focused on getting programs off the ground, McCray said on the Max & Murphy podcast in March 2018. New York has given up on policing drugs, and the city suffers, David Paterson is right Mayor Adams needs to get tougher. Market data provided by Factset. As the Worst Mayor In History Mayor Bill DeBlasio gets set to leave office, we thought it might be a good time to revisit an old question: I bet youre never seen this story reported on the nightly newsbut dont worry, well show it to you! In recent months the administration moved to change that, creating a centralized office for the program, appointing a senior adviser to oversee it and releasing budget details and data on 472 metrics against which it could weigh the programs effectiveness. We need all agencies involved in this issue because all agencies touch it, Belkin said. Actually, first lady Chirlane McCray works hard for free, her husband Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday, and he is not happy about it. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. We did not say everything would be perfect, burbled the co-mayor as if anybody outside his immediate orbit expected an outcome even close to competent. https://t.co/fqUIyfFc8Z, John Cardillo (@johncardillo) March 1, 2019, De Blasio's wife can't account for $850m given to mental health scheme https://t.co/gTEJcrCeob via @MailOnline, Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 1, 2019, . Last month, McCray and de Blasio announced the appointment of Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson together. McCray, who is reportedly looking torun for Brooklyn borough president, has a staff of 14 people,sources told The CIty. Tap below and Follow @DailyNoahNewsthats me! De Blasio's wife can't account for $850m given to mental health scheme https://t.co/gTEJcrCeob via @MailOnline, NYC Mayor De Blasio's wife spent $900 million in taxpayer moneywith no record of how it was used https://t.co/UGe8liu6L0, De Blasio and co-mayor wife have wasted $1.8B of taxpayer moneyFrankly Im surprised its not much more considering these two incompetent lazy stoners are at the helm. Oh, brother. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $900 million to start a mental health initiative focusing on helping the homeless in the city. Were US Rail Workers Instructed to Bypass Railcar Safety Inspections? The outcome has not come close to reaching the goal. Ms. McCray, who created and oversees ThriveNYC, faced tough questions on its performance and spending during a packed special hearing of the City Council on Tuesday. Please share your thoughts about this article below. Thrive also is meant to focus on communities African Americans, Latinos, military veterans who are less likely to seek care for mental health problems. Benedy Abreu, right, is in a program funded through Thrive to help those with serious mental illness and a criminal past. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, JUST RELEASED: Phone Call To Chinese Manufacturer Requesting a Bulk Classic Video of Donald Trump on Larry King In 1987 Democrats Hiding That John Fetterman is Brain Dead to Prevent Special Election? It was not as obvious what I, as first lady, would take on; I wanted to take on something big, Ms. McCray said in the interview. Meanwhile, the same number either closed or were merged with other schools while under the initiative. Thats because there never was any doubt what the program was about. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. I first saw the story online under the title: Bill DeBlasios Wife Reportedly Loses $850 Million of Taxpayer Funds!, Sometimes you look at a headline like this and think: that cant possibly be true.. But problems with the citys initial proposals delayed the process, those involved said. To bypass internet censorship, connect with us directly by enabling our notifications (using the red subscription bell in the bottom right corner) or by subscribing to our free daily newsletter. He now regularly names Thrive as one of his administrations core achievements. Just this week, McCray sat side-by-side with de Blasio as he presented his newly appointed public schools chancellor and on Thursday she is slated to co-host a town hall with the mayor on gun violence in schools. Arizona Hospital Temporarily Suspends Admission of Cardiac Arrest Patients Due Democrats Hiding That John Fetterman is Brain Dead to Prevent Special Election? 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Two budget breakdowns acquired by POLITICO one from City Hall and one from the Independent Budget Office show significant differences in spending. Bob McManusharshly assessed the programs effectiveness for the New York Post: So, ipso presto, co-Mayor Bill coughed up enough cash to break a pack mules back and sent it off to co-Mayor Chirlane who then went forth to cure Gothams mental-illness problems. One, fromfrom City Hall, showed $594million in spending, but a second, from the Independent Budget Office, showed $816milion. To serve that population, the city is spending $12 million a year on the NYC-WELL hotline not including nearly $11 million spent on advertising in 2017, mostly to promote the service. While it plans to be more deliberate in the future, Thrive staff did not provide internal goals or benchmarks by which to judge its progress to this point. Bill de Blasio's wife cant account for $850 million allocated to her pet project. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Black Democrat DA tells the truth on crime, but progressives won't listen. We did not say everything would be perfect, burbled the co-mayor as if anybody outside his immediate orbit expected an outcome even close to competent. Zelensky Exposed (Literally): This Is The Guy We Are Sending Billions To? De Blasio says the questions smack of sexism, that McCray is a key decision-maker, and it should come as no surprise that she plays a role in staff picks and high-profile initiatives. But the co-mayor made performance promises when he initiated the Renewal program, few of which even remotely were met, and presently gravity prevailed: The program caved in on itself. Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox for free every day by signing up below. Where did Russell Senior go to college and high school? Over the next four years, Ms. McCray would transform herself into a mental health evangelist.