The data comes from aPolitico report that shows those running the scheme have largely failed to measure its impact or keep track of spending. TheNY Postreports that among multiple failed programs and bad accounting, the figure is actually not $850 millionbut rather $1.8 billion. The man, Benedy Abreu, 31, served five years in prison and is now in a program funded through Thrive to help those with serious mental illness and a criminal past. Over the next four years, Ms. McCray would transform herself into a mental health evangelist. David Woodlock, president of the Institute for Community Living and a former top state health official, praised Ms. McCray for her courage in taking on mental health issues. 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. 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. ", CHIRLANE MCCRAY ENJOYS $2M STAFF OF 14 AMID NYC BUDGET CRISIS, He added, "The mental health crisis is much deeper because of the coronavirus, across the whole city, that's one of the things she's been working on intensely, but also as the co-chair of the internal task force this extraordinary task force on racial inclusion that has been moving big policy changes.". Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. https://t.co/oKaowNxGjT #NYC #DeBlasio, Michael E. Newton (@MichaelENewton1) March 1, 2019, What a waste these two are.De Blasio and 'co-mayor' wife have wasted $1.8B of taxpayer money https://t.co/85S88hQUuq via @nypost, MyLivesGoUpTo11 (@AlexStrayCat_) March 1, 2019, Chirlane McCoy (DeBlasio) spends $850 MILLION & can't account for it???? Frustration over Thrives veteran outreach program spilled over into a tense Council hearing just this week. Public health officials credit the plan for drawing attention to mental health, often too easily ignored by political leaders. Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. Thrive said it has developed a list of 417 metrics to measure how effective the program is moving forward, but asked to assess its impact so far, Politico said the data was piecemeal and showed a largely failing picture. TheNY Postreports that among multiple failed programs and bad accounting, the figure is actually not $850 millionbut rather $1.8 BILLION! But that kind of programming wont address institutional problems like homelessness and serious mental illness, which are financial and safety burdens to the city, he said. The outcome has not come close to reaching the goal. Of those 7,811 referrals for people with serious mental illness meaning they can be a risk to themselves or others Thrive does not track whether those individuals received care or continued with it. Follow me on Twitter @kwadwo_dost, Ghanaian songstress and actress Hajia4Real. So its a mater of choosing your poison do you choose the additional income or keeping your credibility with the public?. A university finally stands up to woke virtue signaling, GOPers stand up for life and against AG Merrick Garland, Biden's WHO pandemic treaty would kill Americans in the name of 'equity', Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, US home prices just did something they haven't done since 2012, Tom Sandoval breaks silence on Ariana Madix split amid cheating claims. (Some are repeat callers, with a few who call as many as 200 times a day.). Bill de Blasio's wife can't account for staggering amount of taxpayer money that the NY Mayor gave her for mental health project Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she champions has gone, according to reports. I think it's safe to say that Bill DeBlasio's presidential prospects are dead in the water before they even started. "I'm not sure anybody does.". Arizona Hospital Temporarily Suspends Admission of Cardiac Arrest Patients Due Democrats Hiding That John Fetterman is Brain Dead to Prevent Special Election? Thrive has publicized some data through the mayors annual management report of all city agencies, beginning in 2016, but it encompassed only a fraction of the programs scope. Again, though, no data was available on the number of people referred or the outcomes of the treatment. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. https://twitter.com/davej08/status/1101441406667771904, https://twitter.com/WNYGeek81/status/1101500859299627008, harshly assessed the program's effectiveness. 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. Chris Pleasance for MailOnline, Surge of $100 bills in circulation is linked to criminals around the world trying to hide their money, Michelle Obama rules out running for president because she wants to 'make room' for next generation and reveals she 'sobbed for 30 minutes' during last flight on Air Force One, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' 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. Thats because there never was any doubt what the program was about. Another prominent element of Thrive is an expansion of mental health first aid training. The money was going to NYC's Thrive program for people with mental health problems that is overseen by McCray. Among the concerns raised were that she is not subject to questions from the press or many disclosure requirements, as a government official would be. Despite that, the program has been granted an even bigger budget going forward and is now on track to spend $1billion over five years. Market data provided by Factset. The father asked for a psychiatrist and a social worker to be sent to the home. "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. But there are other mysteries out there, too. (Hes kind of busy, she said. 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. Laura Ingraham has even called it a "scheme". That is, once upon a time, first spouses were content to pretend to be in charge of prettifying highways and things. 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. Fox News host Laura Ingraham called it a "mental health scheme." The fact is that a health program championed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife cannot account for $850 million taxpayer dollars. Besides the ramped-up spending, a big part of Thrive has been Ms. McCrays advocacy. Hey, the family that preys together stays together, right? During a recent visit, a screen played YouTube videos of adorable animals, to help soothe staff members who work in sound-dampened cubicles. 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 wife of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio "can't account for" $850 million in missing taxpayer money that was granted to her mental health project, according to reports. 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. 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. Only 28,560 new mothers were screened between September 2016 and October 2018, according to Thrives data. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. According to the New York Post, no one seems to know what that money was utilised for after four years. ThriveNYC has led to an expansion of mental health first aid training. But she cant get paid, so she is doing it as a volunteer.. Actually, first lady Chirlane McCray works hard for free, her husband Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday, and he is not happy about it. Of the 78,000 newborn deliveries in the city annually, only 28,560 new mothers have been screened by the Thrive program. New York is supposed to be better than that. 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. The mayor, for his part, has brushed off questions about his wifes activities in his administration, making no apologies for her high-level role in city business. Deutsch said it also took Thrive weeks to get back to him about training his constituents in Mental Health First Aid a free, eight-hour course that helps individuals identify and respond to mental illness. More than $15 million has been budgeted over the last three years for the effort; none has been spent. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Hey, its Noah and I want to make sure were connected on Twitter. 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. The data delineates each program within Thrive and tries to measure the initiatives reach within a given timeline. Stop the censors, sign up to get today's top stories delivered right to your inbox. Click here to log out. Read our full Disclosure. Things happen. 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. 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. 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 well behind targets. When youre thinking about performance, theres both outcome and output, said Ana Champeny, director of city studies at the Citizens Budget Commission. Borderline socialist New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasios wife has lost a staggering amount of money and now people are demanding answers. Hey, its Noah and I want to make sure were connected on Twitter. 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. Health Department employees now conduct the eight-hour classes daily at churches, schools and community centers. Only 570 of the estimated 12-15,000 mothers who experience postpartum depression have been reached by the program, Politico reported, a number NYC disputes. Zelensky Exposed (Literally): This Is The Guy We Are Sending Billions To? Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. You may opt out at anytime. 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. 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.. 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. Advertisement - story continues below .hustle-ui.hustle_module_id_1[data-id="1"] .hustle-layout .hustle-button-cta {width:100%!important;font-size:18px!important;}.hustle-ui.module_id_1 .hustle-popup-content {max-width: 400px!important;}.hustle-group-content p {font-size:18px!important;margin: 24px 0 0!important;}.hustle-content-wrap{padding-bottom:0!important;}, We may receive compensation from affiliate partners for some links on this site. 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! 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. ), One indicator of the need for services: The phones at NYC-WELL ring constantly, 180,000 times in 2018, according to city data. The data also showed almost 190,000 Narcan kits were handed out to hospitals where opioid use is common, but there is no evidence of how many were used. But the budget discrepancies illustrate the difficulty in tracking Thrive. If were not addressing those two problems, then whatever we are doing is lacking, Eide said. An iron fist in a velvet glove, gov? Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Instead, the metrics list the number of individuals in state psychiatric centers 68 and individuals incarcerated 170 from Nov. 24, 2018 to Nov. 30, 2018. The biggest challenge for Mr. de Blasio and Ms.. Were US Rail Workers Instructed to Bypass Railcar Safety Inspections? Chris Pleasance for MailOnline Type above and press Enter to search. ). A spreadsheet of nearly 500 data points tracked by City Hall included almost none related to patient outcomes. Thats a misconception that people often have, she said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The mental health initiative, known as ThriveNYC, is crucial to Ms. McCrays potential as a future political candidate, and has become increasingly important to Mr. de Blasio as he toys with a possible 2020 presidential bid. 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? People are allowed to call anonymously, and the calls are confidential. For Thrive, not only is it difficult to measure impact, but it is also hard to tell how much funding each initiative receives. The city would not make McCray available for a recent interview. The plan, which includes dozens of discrete programs across 15 city agencies, has undergone two leadership changes in the last year; the most recent saw a top official from the Police Department, Susan Herman, taking charge last month. Please share your thoughts about this article below. 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. And because Thrive encompasses a variety of initiatives some new, some already in existence across more than a dozen agencies, it is difficult to establish a central, line-item budget delineating how the city is spending taxpayer dollars on the program. Think Stockholm syndrome, rolled into a big ball with the United Federation of Teachers. .hustle-ui.hustle_module_id_1[data-id="1"] .hustle-layout .hustle-button-cta {width:100%!important;font-size:18px!important;}.hustle-ui.module_id_1 .hustle-popup-content {max-width: 400px!important;}.hustle-group-content p {font-size:18px!important;margin: 24px 0 0!important;}.hustle-content-wrap{padding-bottom:0!important;}, We may receive compensation from affiliate partners for some links on this site. But problems with the citys initial proposals delayed the process, those involved said. The mayor has a point in this individual case it may seem unfair because shes working, and lets assume she is doing a good job, Clark said. It is not, in the end, just about money. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Bill de Blasio's Wife Can't Account For $850 Million Collected But alsomayoral spouseChirlane McCray, who has just been revealed as a world-class boondoggler in her own right. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's (D) wife backed a "mental health scheme" that has now cost taxpayers $850 million. All registered. Twenty-nine hospitals responsible for more than 78,000 newborn deliveries each year representing nearly seven in 10 births in the city committed to screen all new mothers for maternal depression. 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. That is, no one appears to have kept receipts; the subways and street corners are still crawling with lunatics, and no one in control knows what will happen next. Chirlane McCray, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife, was entrusted in 2015 with running a new initiative in the city called ThriveNYC, a program that attempted to address issues of homelessness, substance use, depression and suicide, all centered around mental health and with a price tag of $250 million per year in tax payer dollars. If we want to reach all these women, we need to start somewhere. 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.. . New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio attempted to defend first lady Chirlane McCray against backlash on Wednesday after it was discovered she had private staff that's getting paid millions in taxpayer money. It is crazy and ridiculous when someone gets funded $850 million and I dont get a response right away, he said, adding later, If you have a service, you have to respond to that service otherwise, close up.. The officers eventually brought him to Elmhurst Hospital, nearby. It seems that Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife (Chirlane McCray) headed a taxpayer-funded project called ThriveNYC and now she can not, or will not, account for $850 million in taxpayer money. On his now-frequent tours of early presidential primary states, Mayor Bill de Blasio has taken to invoking a less-familiar aspect of his tenure: a nearly $1 billion plan to address mental illness in New York City. Its revolutionary, Mr. de Blasio told CNNs Symone Sanders during a recent forum at Harvard University. Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox for free every day by signing up below. Updated: 02/27/2019 05:14 PM EST Since its inception in 2015, ThriveNYC the city's sprawling $850 million initiative to address a variety of mental health issues has operated without much. Thrive NYC is really best understood as a tale of two cities initiative, said Stephen Eide, a senior fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute and an expert on homelessness and urban policy. But this is 2019, and the general feeling at least in the deBlasio administration is that if theres not a lot of dough attached to the spousal sinecure, it doesnt really matter enough. 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. 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? Two budget breakdowns acquired by POLITICO one from City Hall and one from the Independent Budget Office show significant differences in spending. Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she champions has gone, according to reports. De Blasio did not say hed pursue a change in the law and acknowledged there were good historical reasons for the rule. Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she . Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert at the Washington University School of Law, said the legal rationale to keep McCray from collecting a salary is more than clear, but conceded there was a level of unfairness to the first ladys specific arrangement. Thank you! We need all agencies involved in this issue because all agencies touch it, Belkin said. If you love what we do, please consider a $1/month donation to keep us live! It is not, in the end, just about money. It was honorable work, it didnt cost very much and it filled up the spouses free time. In the case of diversion programs, which aim to keep individuals with mental health and substance use problems in treatment instead of jails, Thrive only tracks the number of people released under supervision and those screened during pre-arraignment not if or how city-funded intervention worked. In the three years the program has been running, organizers at ThriveNYC have failed to keep complete records of the initiative's achievements, with the fragments of data that has been collected, showing it lagging well behind targets. 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. She is routinely visible around de Blasio at times when he is making high profile announcements and administration appointments. 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. I like the fact that money is going toward mental health, but when they say were seeing a benefit in all areas, I take exception to that, because I dont see it everywhere, Queens Councilman Robert Holden told The Post. Information provided by City Hall shows McCray held 19 media-related events, including one-on-one interviews with specific outlets and public speaking sessions.