We need all agencies involved in this issue because all agencies touch it, Belkin said. 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. For example, 29 hospitals had agreed to screen almost 78,000 new mothers for post-natal depression each year as part of the scheme. What do they always tell you when youre in high school or in college? 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. 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. The data delineates each program within Thrive and tries to measure the initiatives reach within a given timeline. NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio's Wife Has Reportedly "Lost" $850 MILLION of 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. Borderline socialist New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasios wife has lost a staggering amount of money and now people are demanding answers. Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she champions has gone, according to reports. Read our full Disclosure. Thats because there never was any doubt what the program was about. Meanwhile, the same number either closed or were merged with other schools while under the initiative. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, He was told a team like that could not come for at least a day, maybe two; for immediate help, call 911. Withoutrecords, the schemeis unable to pinpoint where the missing funding has been allocated, if at all. But lets be clear: If your boondogglery sets the New York City Council back on its heels, you truly are soaring with the eagles. The city has not begun tracking several programs, such as one for outreach to veterans with mental health challenges and another for trauma services for families with young children, according to the metrics. New York is supposed to be better than that. FLASHBACK: Bill De Blasio's Wife Lost $850 Million Taxpayer Dollars In You should choose to work on something that you would do without pay, she said. Not all of the programs in her plan were new. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. By 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. "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. Thats a misconception that people often have, she said. But also mayoral spouse Chirlane McCray, who has just been revealed as a world-class boondoggler in her own right. You wish Kathy! 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. Besides the ramped-up spending, a big part of Thrive has been Ms. McCrays advocacy. For example, 29 hospitals had agreed to screen almost 78,000 new mothers for post-natal depression each year as part of the scheme. https://twitter.com/davej08/status/1101441406667771904, https://twitter.com/WNYGeek81/status/1101500859299627008, harshly assessed the program's effectiveness. Few of those who dial the number agree to a follow-up call, making it hard to gauge its effectiveness. His wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $850 million for a mental health program she was spearheading, The Daily Mail reported. Mr. de Blasios wife, Chirlane McCray, has done the same, presenting the effort as a national model to audiences from Atlanta to Seattle. Hey, the family that preys together stays together, right? 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. Hey, the family that preys together stays together, right? Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. .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. Both City Hall and IBO suspect the Office of Management and Budget included fewer programs in the City Hall version, accounting for the difference. 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. 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. Some requested anonymity for fear of retaliation while others were more vocal in their critiques. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. 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. The new focus for the program is the second time the city has attempted to retrain Thrives focus. Ms. McCray, for example, seldom talks about Thrive without imploring audience to repeat the number of its mental health hotline, 1-888-NYC-WELL. 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. 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. 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. Hajia4Real tops Twitter trends following U.S. jail reports, Sulley Muntari, Agyeman Badu, Asamoah Gyan, others visit Christian Atsus family home, VIDEO: Government will be fully involved in providing Christian Atsu a befitting burial Dr. Bawumia, Christian Atsus mortal remains arrive in Ghana via Turkish Airlines, Maybe I created enemies along the line Kofi Amoabeng on UT Banks collapse, Christian Atsu was one of Ghanas finest personnel Akufo-Addo. Meanwhile de Blasio announced earlier this week that he is mothballing his failed Renewal school program after spending $773million. He now regularly names Thrive as one of his administrations core achievements. (VIDEO) Donald Trump Pitches Agenda 47: Create Freedom Cities. NYC Mayor De Blasio's Wife Under Fire For Losing $850 Million Officials are also collecting survey data. 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 dont understand it because if someone is working full time and is a professional with a whole lot of background and applying themselves, I dont understand why they cant get paid, the mayor said during an unrelated press conference. Thrive would then refer them to counseling, which is considered an effective way to treat the problem. 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. De Blasio and 'co-mayor' wife have wasted $1.8B of taxpayer money Some have closed their doors; others have chosen to stop providing mental health services. 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. 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. 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. The biggest challenge for Mr. de Blasio and Ms.. Market data provided by Factset. How about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? She has traveled the city urging New Yorkers, particularly in black and Hispanic communities, to open up and to erase the stigma around mental health. Its safe again and were having a lot of fun over there. 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. However, it does not show whether programs met or surpassed their goals, and whether New Yorkers are better off for it. 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. 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. 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. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion! 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. Bill de Blasio's wife can't account for $850m given to mental health It is not, in the end, just about money. I felt like I was not able to function., But City Hall is still struggling to quantify the payoff from her efforts. One, fromCity Hall, showed $594million in spending, but a second, from the Independent Budget Office, showed $816milion. 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. 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. 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. De Blasio and co-mayor wife have wasted $1.8B of taxpayer money, Frankly Im surprised its not much more considering these two incompetent lazy stoners are at the helm. The data comes from aPoliticoreport that shows those running the scheme have largely failed to measure its impact or keep track of spending. Only 28,560 new mothers were screened between September 2016 and October 2018, according to Thrives data. Stop the censors, sign up to get today's top stories delivered right to your inbox. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Of the 78,000 newborn deliveries in the city annually, only 28,560 new mothers have been screened by the Thrive program. 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. Frustration over Thrives veteran outreach program spilled over into a tense Council hearing just this week. Another prominent element of Thrive is an expansion of mental health first aid training. For example, 29 hospitals had agreed to screen almost 78,000 new mothers for post-natal depression each year as part of the scheme. During the hearing, Ms. McCray distanced herself from the operations of the program, and left it to Ms. Herman and a budget official to answer many of the more specific questions. 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. The city would not make McCray available for a recent interview. Council Member Chaim Deutsch, chair of the veterans committee, along with two other Council members, said the veterans program had failed to materialize in their districts. 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. Information provided by City Hall shows McCray held 19 media-related events, including one-on-one interviews with specific outlets and public speaking sessions. What are some fun facts about Wayne Shorter? Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox for free every day by signing up below. More than $15 million has been budgeted over the last three years for the effort; none has been spent. This story has been shared 121,909 times. Bill de Blasio's Wife Can't Account For $850 Million Collected Legal Statement. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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.. McCrays office provided The CIty with names of eight full-time employees whose salaries added up to about $1.1 million. 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. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. , updated 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. 19:12 GMT 01 Mar 2019. Fellow contender for the Brooklyn borough presidency,City Councilman Antonio Reynoso (D-Brooklyn), slammed the spending, according to The New York Post. We do have some outcomes. Bill de Blasio's wife "misplaced" $850 million taxpayer money (FBI Its revolutionary, Mr. de Blasio told CNNs Symone Sanders during a recent forum at Harvard University. LOST? NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio's Wife "Can't Account For" $850 MILLION Thats because there never was any doubt what the program was about. Over the next four years, Ms. McCray would transform herself into a mental health evangelist. Oh, brother. It is a hard thing to measure, because its never existed before, Ms. McCray said in an interview at Gracie Mansion last month. Chirlane McCray, the wife of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, wasawarded $900 million to launch a mental health project aimed at assisting the citys homeless. New York Mayor's Wife 'Loses' $850 Million in Taxpayer Money "I'm not sure anybody does.". 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. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. How about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? But he bemoaned the inadequacy of state funding, and called the citys contracting process broken. I think it's safe to say that Bill DeBlasio's presidential prospects are dead in the water before they even started. TheNY Postreports that among multiple failed programs and bad accounting, the figure is actually not $850 millionbut rather $1.8 billion. 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. 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. 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. (According to data provided by the city, surveys of about 10,000 callers to NYC-WELL since late 2016 found about 60 percent felt better after calling the number. How about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? 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. With opaque budget and elusive metrics, $850M ThriveNYC program Run by the mayors wife and closest adviser, Chirlane McCray, ThriveNYC sought to tackle issues like substance use, depression and suicide. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Head of content and Editor-at-large at Ghanafuo.com Dickson Ofori Siaw is a blunt writer who loves to make his readers see "the other perspectives of a news story". Speaking to the Post,Queens Councilman Robert Holden told the New York Post: '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. Please check your email inbox to confirm your message and send it to our editorial team. Bill de Blasio's wife "misplaced" $850 million taxpayer money An iron fist in a velvet glove, gov? 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. Bill de Blasio's wife cant account for $850 million allocated to her That is, once upon a time, first spouses were content to pretend to be in charge of prettifying highways and things. 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. All rights reserved. The service also includes text and web chat. The City Council was shocked when they learned that McCray and Team Thrive have spent about $900 million since the programs inception, and no one appears to know why. But lets be clear: If your boondogglery sets the New York City Council back on its heels, you truly are soaring with the eagles. If were not addressing those two problems, then whatever we are doing is lacking, Eide said. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to theNew York Post. Thank you! Meanwhile, the same number either closed or were merged with other schools while under the initiative. But weve built the structure that can get us there.. And guess what I finally found it. (She receives no pay for her city work.). Representatives from four advocacy and service organizations said that Thrive does not fund greater access to inpatient treatment or intensive outpatient services for those with serious mental illnesses, further burdening the social safety net. That escalated the situation, he said. 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. 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. 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. 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! We dont have everything, but we do have quite a bit.. But the police are still often the only ones available to respond quickly to calls, even to the mental health line. The aim of the scheme was to improve 100 of New York's worst schools, but after three years of trying, just 25 of them improved enough to make it off the list. ). 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. It was honorable work, it didnt cost very much and it filled up the spouses free time. He receives regular visits from a psychiatrist and a peer counselor. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. The program, ThriveNYC, has fallen far behind its goals and appears to be a massive failure for the city. But if she were getting paid, people would likely question whether he appointed her to a paid position to enrich his family if shes not getting paid, then everyone knows hes not doing it to enrich his family.. Actually, first lady Chirlane McCray works hard for free, her husband Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday, and he is not happy about it. 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. 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. | AP Photo. According to the New York Post, no one seems to know what that money was utilised for after four years. Bill De Blasio's Wife and The Case of the Missing $850 Million in 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. 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. Anyone can read what you share. 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. The father asked for a psychiatrist and a social worker to be sent to the home. The TikTok famous 4-in-1 red light wand and facial massage tool . And the depth issue, I dont know of many city initiatives that have so quickly touched so many New Yorkers in such a short period of time, Belkin said. 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. The city also published a 150-day update report in June 2016 that described key milestones produced within the first five months of the program such as bringing educational programming to homeless shelters and community groups and outlined what it hoped to accomplish in the coming years. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. That is, once upon a time, first spouses were content to pretend to be in charge of prettifying highways and things. 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. Think Stockholm syndrome, rolled into a big ball with the United Federation of Teachers. 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. 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. The aim of the scheme was to improve 100 of New York's worst schools, but after three years of trying, just 25 of them improved enough to make it off the list. Repeatedly presented by City Hall as a four-year $850 million plan, city officials now say $560 million will have been spent in that time. 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. https://t.co/fqUIyfFc8Z, John Naturally Immune Cardillo (@johncardillo) March 1, 2019. Its wrong, and it needs to stop, Reynoso said. 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. (Hes kind of busy, she said.). Helping the seriously mentally ill remains a challenge, especially in a crisis. Bill de Blasio's wife "misplaced" $850 million taxpayer money (dollars Aides to McCray said, despite the limited format, she typically makes herself available for pull aside interviews at the event. Its a big city, there must be thousands of OB-GYN providers in communities, in isolated offices. For instance, Thrive calculates how many mayors attended a national conference on mental health just seven when New York City hosted it in 2017. Im not sure anybody does.. It promotes that misconception that too many people have, that people who have mental illness or people suffering from substance use disorders are violent, which is not true, she said at a health care conference. 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.