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. We invite you to become a WeLoveTrump insider. That visibility has led to questions this week by Errol Louis of NY1s Inside City Hall over her role. 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. She took a mental health first aid course in October 2014. https://twitter.com/davej08/status/1101441406667771904, https://twitter.com/WNYGeek81/status/1101500859299627008, harshly assessed the program's effectiveness. 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. 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 new focus for the program is the second time the city has attempted to retrain Thrives focus. SICK: Here Is That Perverted Sex Ed Video Teaching First Graders To Masturbate, Pfizer Makes Stunning Admission On COVID-19 Jab Clinical Trials, China & Cambodia Report Human Cases of Avian Flu, Next Pandemic?, EPA Forces Norfolk Southern to Test For Dioxins in East Palestine After Heated Town Hall. Over the next four years, Ms. McCray would transform herself into a mental health evangelist. 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. Thats because there never was any doubt what the program was about. Zelensky Exposed (Literally): This Is The Guy We Are Sending Billions To? That is, once upon a time, first spouses were content to pretend to be in charge of prettifying highways and things. For example, 29 hospitals had agreed to screen almost 78,000 new mothers for post-natal depression each year as part of the scheme. TheNY Postreports that among multiple failed programs and bad accounting, the figure is actually not $850 millionbut rather $1.8 BILLION! But she cant get paid, so she is doing it as a volunteer.. The City Council discovered this shocking amount of potential waste during a meeting Wednesday. Meanwhile, the same number either closed or were merged with other schools while under the initiative. Thank you! This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, But the vast majority of city spending on the program goes to more than 40 other endeavors, such as a crime victim advocate program; social and emotional learning in public schools; and a corps of young behavioral health clinicians paid by the city to work at nonprofits for three years. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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But lets be clear: If your boondogglery sets the New York City Council back on its heels, you truly are soaring with the eagles. Bill de Blasio attempts to defend his wife's $1.1M salary for staff 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 fact, the mayor said Wednesday, McCray should get paid, but for widely accepted nepotism rules forbidding such an arrangement. 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. Press Esc to cancel. 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? Thank you for contacting us. 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. Hey, the family that preys together stays together, right? Where did Russell Senior go to college and high school? 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 . Borderline socialist New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio's wife has lost a staggering amount of money and now people are demanding answers. 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. 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. 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. Similar programs like the Mental Illness and Drug Dependence program in King County, Washington, produce reports that illustrate the target number of people it hopes to reach and the actual number served data that Thrive lacks. If you love what we do, please consider a $1/month donation to keep us live! The data comes from aPoliticoreport that shows those running the scheme have largely failed to measure its impact or keep track of spending. Sign up for our free email newsletter, and we'll make sure to keep you in the loop. 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.. Sign up for our free email newsletter, and we'll make sure to keep you in the loop. The data comes from aPolitico report that shows those running the scheme have largely failed to measure its impact or keep track of spending. New York is supposed to be better than that. FLASHBACK: Bill De Blasio's Wife Lost $850 Million Taxpayer Dollars In 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? 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. Thrives two-year report, released in February 2018, offers cumulative data, like the number of medical professionals trained to prescribe treatment for opioid use. Weve actually built the first rational approach to the real scope and breadth of the need. 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 Mayor's Wife 'Loses' $850 Million in Taxpayer Money Mr. de Blasios wife, Chirlane McCray, has done the same, presenting the effort as a national model to audiences from Atlanta to Seattle. Click here to log out. 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 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. Some requested anonymity for fear of retaliation while others were more vocal in their critiques. You wish Kathy! 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. 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. At the same time, some initiatives failed to get started, while others placed unrealistic demands on already strained mental health services. , updated Fellow contender for the Brooklyn borough presidency,City Councilman Antonio Reynoso (D-Brooklyn), slammed the spending, according to The New York Post. For example, 29 hospitals had agreed to screen almost 78,000 new mothers for post-natal depression each year as part of the scheme. 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. 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. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. Bob McManusharshly assessed the programs effectiveness for the New York Post: So, ipso presto, co-Mayor Bill coughed up enough cash to break a pack mules back and sent it off to co-Mayor Chirlane who then went forth to cure Gothams mental-illness problems. 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. ). This story has been shared 175,437 times. Jeffrey Epstein - De Blasio Wife Loses 850 Million - Right Edition Budget watchdogs have lamented Thrives opacity. 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. It was honorable work, it didnt cost very much and it filled up the spouses free time. 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. 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. 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, 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 money, Frankly Im surprised its not much more considering these two incompetent lazy stoners are at the helm. One, fromfrom City Hall, showed $594million in spending, but a second, from the Independent Budget Office, showed $816milion. 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. According to the New York Post, no one seems to know what that money was utilised for after four years. An iron fist in a velvet glove, gov? 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. For Thrive, not only is it difficult to measure impact, but it is also hard to tell how much funding each initiative receives. Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. Please share your thoughts about this article below. 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. 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. The government could decide not to have a nepotism restriction but it would come with costs like undermining the public trust, Clark said. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. Bob McManus is a contributing editor of City Journal. 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. Market data provided by Factset. So far, almost all of the information on follow-up care comes from the limited cases in which a social worker and psychiatrist have been sent to visit the person. SheisalsothechairmanoftheMayorsFundtoAdvanceNewYorkCityandtheexecutivedirectorofThriveNYC. De Blasio bemoans nepotism laws keeping his wife from - POLITICO I bet you're never seen this story reported on the nightly newsbut don't worry, we'll show it to you! If we want to reach all these women, we need to start somewhere. Thrive would then refer them to counseling, which is considered an effective way to treat the problem. Wife of Corrupt NY Mayor Bill de Blasio Makes $850 Million of Taxpayer And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. People are allowed to call anonymously, and the calls are confidential. Bill De Blasio's Wife Just Lost $850 Million Taxpayer Dollars In Mental 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. Another prominent element of Thrive is an expansion of mental health first aid training. 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 . Helping the seriously mentally ill remains a challenge, especially in a crisis. I think it's safe to say that Bill DeBlasio's presidential prospects are dead in the water before they even started. 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. 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. REPORTS: Bill DeBlasio's Wife Has "Lost" $850 MILLION of Taxpayer Money! Initially, his son refused to cooperate. 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. | Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office. The data delineates each program within Thrive and tries to measure the initiatives reach within a given timeline. Actually, first lady Chirlane McCray works hard for free, her husband Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday, and he is not happy about it. (VIDEO) Donald Trump Pitches Agenda 47: Create Freedom Cities. The City Council discovered this shocking amount of potential waste . But alsomayoral spouseChirlane McCray, who has just been revealed as a world-class boondoggler in her own right. NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio's Wife Has Reportedly "Lost" $850 MILLION of It was honorable work, it didnt cost very much and it filled up the spouses free time. Only 28,560 new mothers were screened between September 2016 and October 2018, according to Thrives data. Im not sure anybody does.. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Public health officials credit the plan for drawing attention to mental health, often too easily ignored by political leaders. All registered. Officials are also collecting survey data. 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. Dr. Anitha Iyer, right, who helps oversee the call center for the citys mental health hotline, speaks to Dr. Gary Belkin, left, chief of policy and strategy at ThriveNYC. Tap below and Follow @DailyNoahNewsthats me! Bill de Blasio's Wife Can Not Explain Where The $850 Million Went What do they always tell you when youre in high school or in college? 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. Aides to McCray said, despite the limited format, she typically makes herself available for pull aside interviews at the event. People are being asked to do more in this system that is not built for expansion, he said. 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 biggest challenge for Mr. de Blasio and Ms.. Its a big city, there must be thousands of OB-GYN providers in communities, in isolated offices. Information provided by City Hall shows McCray held 19 media-related events, including one-on-one interviews with specific outlets and public speaking sessions. 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. More than $15 million has been budgeted over the last three years for the effort; none has been spent. But lets be clear: If your boondogglery sets the New York City Council back on its heels, you truly are soaring with the eagles. She occasionally speaks of her own experience with therapy, and in the interview, she spoke obliquely of her brief return to treatment last year. That escalated the situation, he said. The program has made more than 7,800 referrals to outpatient treatment for those individuals between August 2015 and November 2018, according to city numbers. NYC Mayor De Blasio's Wife Under Fire For Losing $850 Million SICK: Here Is That Perverted Sex Ed Video Teaching First Graders To Masturbate, Pfizer Makes Stunning Admission On COVID-19 Jab Clinical Trials, China & Cambodia Report Human Cases of Avian Flu, Next Pandemic?, EPA Forces Norfolk Southern to Test For Dioxins in East Palestine After Heated Town Hall. Market data provided by Factset. 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 $850 Million Collected Thrive also is meant to focus on communities African Americans, Latinos, military veterans who are less likely to seek care for mental health problems. Despite that, the program has been granted an even bigger budget going forward and is now on track to spend $1billion over five years. Last month, McCray and de Blasio announced the appointment of Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson together. Stop the censors, sign up to get today's top stories delivered right to your inbox. | AP Photo. From The Daily Mail (published in early March): @NYCMayor and 'co-mayor' wife @NYCFirstLady have wasted $1.8B of taxpayer money https://t.co/gT7Lb67zI0, Brooklyn Republicans (@KingsCountyGOP) March 1, 2019, https://twitter.com/CGasparino/status/1101548456999616512, "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion." 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!