Both City Hall and IBO suspect the Office of Management and Budget included fewer programs in the City Hall version, accounting for the difference. ", 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.". Think Stockholm syndrome, rolled into a big ball with the United Federation of Teachers. If you love what we do, please consider a $1/month donation to keep us live! And even some experienced in mental health services have been surprised at what the service does not offer. 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. 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 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. 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. According to the New York Post, no one seems to know what that money was utilised for after four years. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Again, though, no data was available on the number of people referred or the outcomes of the treatment. 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. Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she champions has gone, according to reports. STOLEN? NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio's Wife "Can't Account For" $850 MILLION 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. Sign up for our free email newsletter, and we'll make sure to keep you in the loop. 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. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to theNew York Post. 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. De Blasio did not say hed pursue a change in the law and acknowledged there were good historical reasons for the rule. You may opt out at anytime. 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. Of the 19 events, only three were advertised as being open to questions from reporters. 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. POLITICO filed a records request for the programs line-item budget in October 2018, but the city has twice requested an extension. So its a mater of choosing your poison do you choose the additional income or keeping your credibility with the public?. In fact, the mayor said Wednesday, McCray should get paid, but for widely accepted nepotism rules forbidding such an arrangement. Thrive also is meant to focus on communities African Americans, Latinos, military veterans who are less likely to seek care for mental health problems. Other measurements seemingly have nothing to do with the mental health of New Yorkers. Facebook is heavily censoring information from independent sources. Everyone in life goes through something, said Stacey Hamilton, 52, a peer specialist and social worker, reassuring Mr. Abreu during a recent visit that he, too, could become a peer counselor and recalling her own history of mental illness and incarceration. With opaque budget and elusive metrics, $850M ThriveNYC program Thank you! Jeffrey Epstein - De Blasio Wife Loses 850 Million - Right Edition 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.. McCrays office provided The CIty with names of eight full-time employees whose salaries added up to about $1.1 million. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Belkin maintains the program has been an overall success. It was honorable work, it didnt cost very much and it filled up the spouses free time. De Blasio bemoans nepotism laws keeping his wife from - POLITICO Were US Rail Workers Instructed to Bypass Railcar Safety Inspections? 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. 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. Legal Statement. But alsomayoral spouseChirlane McCray, who has just been revealed as a world-class boondoggler in her own right. 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. Stop the censors, sign up to get today's top stories delivered right to your inbox. But she cant get paid, so she is doing it as a volunteer.. The new focus for the program is the second time the city has attempted to retrain Thrives focus. Bill de Blasio's wife "misplaced" $850 million taxpayer money (dollars 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. Weve actually built the first rational approach to the real scope and breadth of the need. 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. 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. 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 money was going to NYC's Thrive program for people with mental health problems that is overseen by McCray. Bill de Blasio's wife "misplaced" $850 million taxpayer money (FBI Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. . McCray formally serves as chair of the Mayors Fund to Advance New York City and is the face of ThriveNYC an $850 million dollar administration initiative she helped design to improve the citys mental health and substance abuse services. Thrive would then refer them to counseling, which is considered an effective way to treat the problem. 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. Were US Rail Workers Instructed to Bypass Railcar Safety Inspections? Dr. Belkin said that while suicide rates are not the best measure, the Health Department has been looking at trends in suicide attempts, based on emergency room visits. Of the 78,000 newborn deliveries in the city annually, only 28,560 new mothers have been screened by the Thrive program. Only 28,560 new mothers were screened between September 2016 and October 2018, according to Thrives data. As a result, the program reached just 570 women who had been diagnosed with postpartum depression a sliver of the 12,000 to 15,000 McCray estimated are affected each year. 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. 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. However, it does not show whether programs met or surpassed their goals, and whether New Yorkers are better off for it. 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!' With few public metrics by which to measure its success so far, and the broad strokes used by city officials to describe its operations, the city has offered little insight into how it has assessed Thrives efficacy since it began. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's (D) wife backed a "mental health scheme" that has now cost taxpayers $850 million. Chirlane McCray, the wife of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, was awarded $900 million to launch a mental health project aimed at assisting the city's homeless. 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, . 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? 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. TheNY Postreports that among multiple failed programs and bad accounting, the figure is actually not $850 millionbut rather $1.8 billion. The city said that was a function of the programs design. But lets be clear: If your boondogglery sets the New York City Council back on its heels, you truly are soaring with the eagles. 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. This principally is on the co-mayors, of course, but it is also on Stringer who wants to be mayor, but who shrinks from demonstrating that he deserves the job. 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. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion! 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. We've received your submission. However, according to current and former employees in the Mayors office -- and public records --McCrays staff makes closer to $2 million. Click here to log out. 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. 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. Besides the ramped-up spending, a big part of Thrive has been Ms. McCrays advocacy. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 and The Case of the Missing $850 Million in Mayor Bill de Blasio's Wife Loses $850 Million Dollars. 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. 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. Two locations have been selected, in East Harlem and the Bronx, but neither has opened yet. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. 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. If we want to reach all these women, we need to start somewhere. One, fromfrom City Hall, showed $594million in spending, but a second, from the Independent Budget Office, showed $816milion. 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. 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? 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.. 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 McCray's organization is now on track to spend $1 billion over five years. 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. 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. People are allowed to call anonymously, and the calls are confidential. (Hes kind of busy, she said.). ", Sometimes you look at a headline like this and think: "that can't possibly be true.". Withoutrecords, the schemeis unable to pinpoint where the missing funding has been allocated, if at all. Advertisement - story continues below I first saw the story online under the title: "Bill DeBlasio's Wife Reportedly Loses $850 Million of Taxpayer Funds! Helping the seriously mentally ill remains a challenge, especially in a crisis. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. He receives regular visits from Stacey Hamilton, left, a peer counselor, and Jeremy Klopman, a psychiatrist, center. Zelensky Exposed (Literally): This Is The Guy We Are Sending Billions To? Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. 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. Trump threatens to send federal agents to New York City if Bill de Blasio can't stop the violence, Whitmer's $79B budget proposal chock full of protections for equity, inclusion and 'reproductive freedom', Sununu pushes back on DeSantis' crusade against 'woke' corporations: 'That's not what Republicans are about', These Biden administration agencies have admitted COVID lab leak is plausible, Utah 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 City Council discovered this shocking amount of potential waste during a meeting Wednesday. The father asked for a psychiatrist and a social worker to be sent to the home. But he bemoaned the inadequacy of state funding, and called the citys contracting process broken. One, fromCity Hall, showed $594million in spending, but a second, from the Independent Budget Office, showed $816milion. Ms. McCray implores those she meets to take the course, which includes discussions and role playing. 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. Social media ads promoting Thrive have reached millions of people, according to the metrics, but the data doesnt show how many people actually used the program after learning about it. The program, ThriveNYC, has fallen far behind its goals and appears to be a massive failure for the city. 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. Its safe again and were having a lot of fun over there. 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. You wish Kathy! Now we have to shift into another phase.. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I think it's safe to say that Bill DeBlasio's presidential prospects are dead in the water before they even started. Bob McManus is a contributing editor of City Journal. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. We invite you to become a WeLoveTrump insider. The MIDD progress report also explains how well each program was executed, what challenges were faced and the outcomes. Information provided by City Hall shows McCray held 19 media-related events, including one-on-one interviews with specific outlets and public speaking sessions. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. Mr. de Blasios wife, Chirlane McCray, has done the same, presenting the effort as a national model to audiences from Atlanta to Seattle. The city invested heavily on mental health before the de Blasio administration: For example, the Health Department spent $243 million in the 2014 fiscal year on mental health contracts. 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. Something happened that triggered the need for me to go, she said without elaborating. 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. NYC Mayor De Blasio's wife spent $900 million in taxpayer - TheBlaze 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. For example, 29 hospitals had agreed to screen almost 78,000 new mothers for post-natal depression each year as part of the scheme. 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 . Market data provided by Factset. Since its inception in 2015, ThriveNYC the citys sprawling $850 million initiative to address a variety of mental health issues has operated without much scrutiny or accountability. Borderline socialist New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio's wife has lost a staggering amount of money and now people are demanding answers. Roughly 10 percent of the Thrive budget, more than $30 million in the current fiscal year, goes to address serious mental illness, according to City Hall. 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 think its safe to say that Bill DeBlasios presidential prospects are dead in the water before they even started. 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. 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. 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. But lets be clear: If your boondogglery sets the New York City Council back on its heels, you truly are soaring with the eagles. (VIDEO) Donald Trump Pitches Agenda 47: Create Freedom Cities. 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! 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. According to the Daily Mail, 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. 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 weve built the structure that can get us there.. Claim Your Free Trump 2020 Hat - Just Cover Shipping Poof. The biggest challenge for Mr. de Blasio and Ms.. 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.