With Thrive, spending rose to $346 million in fiscal year 2018, according to an analysis by the City Council. Run by the mayors wife and closest adviser, Chirlane McCray, ThriveNYC sought to tackle issues like substance use, depression and suicide. The city comptroller is also investigating. Few of those who dial the number agree to a follow-up call, making it hard to gauge its effectiveness. The comments below have not been moderated, By Chirlane McCray can't explain where the $850m in funding has gone after it was given to the organizationshe runs, ThriveNYC. 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. That it should happen in a single week is worse its an embarrassment. They have good ideas, but the implementation is what they stumble on, said Steve Coe, the chief executive of Community Access, which provides housing and other services to the mentally ill. Thrives primary focus is on the other end of the spectrum: New Yorkers who have less serious and possibly undiagnosed mental health problems, a population that according to City Hall encompasses 1.7 million city residents. 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. ", Sometimes you look at a headline like this and think: "that can't possibly be true.". 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. Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. 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. Borderline socialist New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio's wife has lost a staggering amount of money and now people are demanding answers. 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. Hey, the family that preys together stays together, right? 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. 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.. People can receive confidential crisis counseling and referrals. 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. She is routinely visible around de Blasio at times when he is making high profile announcements and administration appointments. During one such episode in 2012, a man whose family members called 911 to try to help him, attacked one of the responding officers, stabbing him in the neck and face. 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. 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. ), One indicator of the need for services: The phones at NYC-WELL ring constantly, 180,000 times in 2018, according to city data. It was honorable work, it didnt cost very much and it filled up the spouses free time. Powerful personality ChirlaneMcCrayisapoliticalfigureintheUnitedStates,aswellasawriter,communicationsexpert,editor,andactivist. The program, ThriveNYC, has fallen far behind its goals and appears to be a massive failure for the city. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. It is meant to target low-income individuals who are often priced out of mental health care because those services are typically not covered by insurance. 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. 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. By 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. Laura Ingraham has even called it a scheme. Of the 78,000 newborn deliveries in the city annually, only 28,560 new mothers have been screened by the Thrive program. 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. That first year, she began talking with Dr. Belkin. 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. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. 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. 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? The IBO budget shows $816 million. Despite that, the program has been granted an even bigger budget going forward and is now on track to spend $1billion over five years. But there are other mysteries out there, too. 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. McCrays office provided The CIty with names of eight full-time employees whose salaries added up to about $1.1 million. 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. Follow me on Twitter @kwadwo_dost, Ghanaian songstress and actress Hajia4Real. You may opt out at anytime. Legal Statement. The outcome has not come close to reaching the goal. To bypass internet censorship, connect with us directly by enabling our notifications (using the red subscription bell in the bottom right corner) or by subscribing to our free daily newsletter. Mental health first aid classes include discussions and role playing; Ms. McCray implores people to take the course, but has not yet been able to get her husband to do it. 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. 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. The MIDD progress report also explains how well each program was executed, what challenges were faced and the outcomes. 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. Something happened that triggered the need for me to go, she said without elaborating. So its a mater of choosing your poison do you choose the additional income or keeping your credibility with the public?. Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she . 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. But there are other mysteries out there, too. 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. Withoutrecords, the schemeis unable to pinpoint where the missing funding has been allocated, if at all. Were US Rail Workers Instructed to Bypass Railcar Safety Inspections? And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. Public health officials credit the plan for drawing attention to mental health, often too easily ignored by political leaders. For Thrive, not only is it difficult to measure impact, but it is also hard to tell how much funding each initiative receives. The city 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. I'm not sure anybody does.'. 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! 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. Bob McManus is a contributing editor of City Journal. Again, though, no data was available on the number of people referred or the outcomes of the treatment. Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox for free every day by signing up below. 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. You're logged in to Facebook. or redistributed. Hey, its Noah and I want to make sure were connected on Twitter. Spencer Cox to sign bill banning abortion clinic operations. 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. Im not sure anybody does.. That escalated the situation, he said. Helping the seriously mentally ill remains a challenge, especially in a crisis. The government could decide not to have a nepotism restriction but it would come with costs like undermining the public trust, Clark said. 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. His wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $850 million for a mental health program she was spearheading, The Daily Mail reported. People are allowed to call anonymously, and the calls are confidential. De Blasio says the questions smack of sexism, that McCray is a key decision-maker, and it should come as no surprise that she plays a role in staff picks and high-profile initiatives. 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. Susan Herman does the day-to-day management and makes the decisions, Ms. McCray said when asked about her role, adding that her role was to amplify ThriveNYCs message to the public., Pressed on how much of the programs budget went to the seriously mentally ill, Ms. McCray responded by questioning how that category is defined. 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. 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. The city would not make McCray available for a recent interview. It is not, in the end, just about money. 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. Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she champions has gone, according to reports. Initially, his son refused to cooperate. 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 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.