Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. For instance, Thrives metrics show that between July 2016 and October 2018, 189,070 Naloxone kits were distributed throughout hospitals, syringe exchange programs and other sites where opioid overdose is common. 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? 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. Ms. McCray, for example, seldom talks about Thrive without imploring audience to repeat the number of its mental health hotline, 1-888-NYC-WELL. Health Department employees now conduct the eight-hour classes daily at churches, schools and community centers. 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.. It is a hard thing to measure, because its never existed before, Ms. McCray said in an interview at Gracie Mansion last month. 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. Mental health advocates have been pressing the city to overhaul how emergency personnel respond to situations involving people experiencing the effects of severe mental health issues. Frustration over Thrives veteran outreach program spilled over into a tense Council hearing just this week. That it should happen in a single week is worse its an embarrassment. (Hes kind of busy, she said. Im not sure anybody does.. If we want to reach all these women, we need to start somewhere. 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. Bill de Blasio's Wife Can't Account For $850 Million Collected During a recent visit, a screen played YouTube videos of adorable animals, to help soothe staff members who work in sound-dampened cubicles. Meanwhile, the same number either closed or were merged with other schools while under the initiative. NYC Mayor De Blasio's wife spent $900 million in taxpayer - TheBlaze 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. Oh, brother. Speaking to the Post,Queens Councilman Robert Holden told theNew 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. All registered. 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. Hey, its Noah and I want to make sure were connected on Twitter. Borderline socialist New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio's wife has lost a staggering amount of money and now people are demanding answers. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]. Another prominent element of Thrive is an expansion of mental health first aid training. Good thing it wasn't an even $1 billion, huh? 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. As of 2022, the amount has not been accounted for. 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. De Blasio bemoans nepotism laws keeping his wife from - POLITICO Something happened that triggered the need for me to go, she said without elaborating. But the interaction is not therapy, cautioned Dr. Anitha Iyer, who helps oversee the call center. 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 . 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. The new focus for the program is the second time the city has attempted to retrain Thrives focus. 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. Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she champions has gone, according to reports. 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. The programs at issue ostensibly are meant to assist particularly challenged people the helpless, often homeless, mentally ill and small children whose futures are forfeited because they landed in shamefully nonfunctional schools, an experience from which they will never recover. But the budget discrepancies illustrate the difficulty in tracking Thrive. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Its about trying to give people who are socioeconomically disadvantaged access to the same kind of mental health care that people in upper middle income or affluent communities have enjoyed as a matter of course for a very long time.. 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. 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! 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. 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, . But weve built the structure that can get us there.. 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Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. Is Kathy Hochul's governorship already beyond redemption? Its revolutionary, Mr. de Blasio told CNNs Symone Sanders during a recent forum at Harvard University. Tap below and Follow @DailyNoahNewsthats me! A spreadsheet of nearly 500 data points tracked by City Hall included almost none related to patient outcomes. 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. 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. 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? 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. The city would not make McCray available for a recent interview. Thats a misconception that people often have, she said. He receives regular visits from Stacey Hamilton, left, a peer counselor, and Jeremy Klopman, a psychiatrist, center. 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. 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. 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. More than $15 million has been budgeted over the last three years for the effort; none has been spent. 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. 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. 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. 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. How about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? Chirlane McCray can't explain where the $850m in funding has gone after it was given to the organization she runs, ThriveNYC. 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. 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. 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. I think that would be the difference: not simply how many people youre screening or youre training, but what impact that actually has on their life.. 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. New York is supposed to be better than that. (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. 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. 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. What do they always tell you when youre in high school or in college? According to the New York Post, no one seems to know what that money was utilised for after four years. Were US Rail Workers Instructed to Bypass Railcar Safety Inspections? People are being asked to do more in this system that is not built for expansion, he said. In fact, the mayor said Wednesday, McCray should get paid, but for widely accepted nepotism rules forbidding such an arrangement. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. We need all agencies involved in this issue because all agencies touch it, Belkin said. Folks, let me tell you something, if there truly is a "scheme" here and the money was intentionally "misused" or funnelled somewhere, that is criminal. Hey, the family that preys together stays together, right? Benedy Abreu, right, is in a program funded through Thrive to help those with serious mental illness and a criminal past. Heres How (and When) To Watch President Trump At CPAC. "This work is about the needs of the people of this city. Chirlane McCray can't explain where the $850m in funding has gone after it was given to the organizationshe runs, ThriveNYC. 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. 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. 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. (VIDEO) Donald Trump Pitches Agenda 47: Create Freedom Cities. 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. Wife of Corrupt NY Mayor Bill de Blasio Makes $850 Million of Taxpayer I think its safe to say that Bill DeBlasios presidential prospects are dead in the water before they even started. 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 bemoans nepotism laws keeping his wife from collecting a City salary Chirlane McCray is the face of ThriveNYC an $850 million dollar administration initiative she helped design. 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. That is, once upon a time, first spouses were content to pretend to be in charge of prettifying highways and things. 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. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. That visibility has led to questions this week by Errol Louis of NY1s Inside City Hall over her role. 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. 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. Chirlane McCray, de Blasio's Wife, Is Questioned Over His Again, though, no data was available on the number of people referred or the outcomes of the treatment. 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. Please share your thoughts about this article below. For Thrive, not only is it difficult to measure impact, but it is also hard to tell how much funding each initiative receives. That first year, she began talking with Dr. Belkin. 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. | AP Photo. You're logged in to Facebook. McCray, who is reportedly looking torun for Brooklyn borough president, has a staff of 14 people,sources told The CIty. 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. Run by the mayors wife and closest adviser, Chirlane McCray, ThriveNYC sought to tackle issues like substance use, depression and suicide. 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". 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. 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. 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? The City Council discovered this shocking amount of potential waste during a meeting Wednesday. Im more than confused and more than surprised on this newfound interest on something that we have been talking about for four years, de Blasio said. (VIDEO) Donald Trump Pitches Agenda 47: Create Freedom Cities. Bill de Blasio's Wife Can't Account For $850 Million Collected And even some experienced in mental health services have been surprised at what the service does not offer. 2023 Ghanafuo.com & DM Network. Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, His wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $850 million for a mental health program she was spearheading, The Daily Mail reported. Please check your email inbox to confirm your message and send it to our editorial team.