Bill de Blasio's wife can't account for staggering amount of taxpayer money that the NY Mayor gave her for mental health project . 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. So its a mater of choosing your poison do you choose the additional income or keeping your credibility with the public?. "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. The IBO budget shows $816 million. Thank you for contacting us. The mayor and first lady have falsely declared stigma rather than lack of services as being the major barrier faced by the seriously mentally ill thereby justifying the diversion of funds to public relations campaigns rather than services, DJ Jaffe, executive director of Mental Illness Policy Organization, an advocacy group, wrote in an email. 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. Both City Hall and IBO suspect the Office of Management and Budget included fewer programs in the City Hall version, accounting for the difference. 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. The city would not make McCray available for a recent interview. That two such scandals should bubble to the surface unannounced is bad enough. 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. ", 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.". Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental health program she champions has gone, according to reports. It is not, in the end, just about money. Claim Your Free Trump 2020 Hat - Just Cover Shipping Poof. Insight from Dr. Oscar Odom, former NYPD detective. 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. That is, once upon a time, first spouses were content to pretend to be in charge of prettifying highways and things. 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. Read our full Disclosure.
Few of those who dial the number agree to a follow-up call, making it hard to gauge its effectiveness. Officials are also collecting survey data. 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. 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 has traveled the city urging New Yorkers, particularly in black and Hispanic communities, to open up and to erase the stigma around mental health. ). Wife of Corrupt NY Mayor Bill de Blasio Makes $850 Million of Taxpayer 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. 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. That it should happen in a single week is worse its an embarrassment. Two budget breakdowns acquired by POLITICO one from City Hall and one from the Independent Budget Office show significant differences in spending. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. What happened to $850 million given to Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane 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 . 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. If you love what we do, please consider a $1/month donation to keep us live! The outcome has not come close to reaching the goal. FLASHBACK: Bill De Blasio's Wife Lost $850 Million Taxpayer Dollars In 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. Chris Pleasance for MailOnline
The city said that was a function of the programs design. 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. The program, ThriveNYC, has fallen far behind its goals and appears to be a massive failure for the city. 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 . 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. 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. 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. Follow me on Twitter @kwadwo_dost, Ghanaian songstress and actress Hajia4Real. Later, she wondered aloud whether her work with men like Mr. Abreu would be enough. 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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. 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. Sign up for our free email newsletter, and we'll make sure to keep you in the loop. At least one stat the program tracks showed underperformance in an area of particular importance to McCray. Chirlane McCray can't explain where the $850m in funding has gone after it was given to the organizationshe runs, ThriveNYC. 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! Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New 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. We invite you to become a WeLoveTrump insider. McCrays office provided The CIty with names of eight full-time employees whose salaries added up to about $1.1 million. There is a program NYC Safe that is embedded into the criminal justice and homeless services agencies to connect high-risk individuals to outpatient treatment, according to a 2015 city announcement. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. I think its safe to say that Bill DeBlasios presidential prospects are dead in the water before they even started. That is, once upon a time, first spouses were content to pretend to be in charge of prettifying highways and things. 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. Tap below and Follow @DailyNoahNewsthats me! This story has been shared 175,437 times. Thats because there never was any doubt what the program was about. It is not, in the end, just about money. 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. 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". (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 about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? 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. Despite that, the program has been granted an even bigger budget going forward and is now on track to spend $1billion over five years. Are we there yet? 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. | Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. 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. I first saw the story online under the title: "Bill DeBlasio's Wife Reportedly Loses $850 Million of Taxpayer Funds! With Thrive, spending rose to $346 million in fiscal year 2018, according to an analysis by the City Council. Were US Rail Workers Instructed to Bypass Railcar Safety Inspections? For example, 29 hospitals had agreed to screen almost 78,000 new mothers for post-natal depression each year as part of the scheme. The biggest challenge for Mr. de Blasio and Ms. McCray has been to identify concrete results.
Again, though, no data was available on the number of people referred or the outcomes of the treatment. He was told a team like that could not come for at least a day, maybe two; for immediate help, call 911. Chirlane McCray has made her advocacy on behalf of mental health a big part of Thrive, as she seeks to erase the stigma around seeking services. 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. JUST RELEASED: Phone Call To Chinese Manufacturer Requesting a Bulk Classic Video of Donald Trump on Larry King In 1987 Democrats Hiding That John Fetterman is Brain Dead to Prevent Special Election? Full Media Blackout: Bill de Blasio's Wife Can't Account For $850 How about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? The City Council discovered this shocking amount of potential waste during a meeting Wednesday. De Blasio bemoans nepotism laws keeping his wife from - POLITICO It was not as obvious what I, as first lady, would take on; I wanted to take on something big, Ms. McCray said in the interview. 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. Mr. de Blasios wife, Chirlane McCray, has done the same, presenting the effort as a national model to audiences from Atlanta to Seattle. 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. I'm not sure anybody does.'. 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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. Legal Statement. 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. 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. https://t.co/oKaowNxGjT #NYC #DeBlasio, Michael E. Newton (@MichaelENewton1) March 1, 2019, What a waste these two are.De Blasio and 'co-mayor' wife have wasted $1.8B of taxpayer money https://t.co/85S88hQUuq via @nypost, MyLivesGoUpTo11 (@AlexStrayCat_) March 1, 2019, Chirlane McCoy (DeBlasio) spends $850 MILLION & can't account for it???? (Hes kind of busy, she said.). For instance, Thrive calculates how many mayors attended a national conference on mental health just seven when New York City hosted it in 2017. Even as the city has poured money into mental health programs and training, nonprofit directors said they still struggle with providing treatment, citing inadequate Medicaid reimbursement rates and even less generous reimbursements from commercial insurers. 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. With opaque budget and elusive metrics, $850M ThriveNYC program Ms. McCray implores those she meets to take the course, which includes discussions and role playing. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. 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. Legal Statement. But there is no corresponding data on how many were used or how effective the outreach was. In an interview with POLITICO in August, she acknowledged Thrive had not yet released data on its performance related to its mental health hotline, NYC Well. Of the 19 events, only three were advertised as being open to questions from reporters. Bill de Blasio's wife cant account for $850 million allocated to her 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. Meanwhile, the same number either closed or were merged with other schools while under the initiative. 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. Did NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio's Wife "Lose" $850 MILLION of Taxpayer Money? The New York Post ran a story on speculation that McCray was being groomed for political office. 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. "I'm not sure anybody does.". 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. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. DE BLASIO EXTENDS STATE OF EMERGENCY IN NEW YORK FOR ANOTHER 30 DAYS, "That article [referring to The City story]didn't take into account the work that's being done," de Blasio 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 rathole. 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. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Seven mayors attended a 2017 national mental health conference in New York City. We do have some outcomes. REPORTS: Bill DeBlasio's Wife Has "Lost" $850 MILLION of Taxpayer Money! TheNY Postreports that among multiple failed programs and bad accounting, the figure is actually not $850 millionbut rather $1.8 BILLION! Something happened that triggered the need for me to go, she said without elaborating. Im not sure anybody does.. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. Bill de Blasio attempts to defend his wife's $1.1M salary for staff 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 . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Heres How (and When) To Watch President Trump At CPAC. His wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $850 million for a mental health program she was spearheading, The Daily Mail reported. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. . So far, she has not been able to get the mayor to take it. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. 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. In fact, the mayor said Wednesday, McCray should get paid, but for widely accepted nepotism rules forbidding such an arrangement. But there are other mysteries out there, too. 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. Last month, McCray and de Blasio announced the appointment of Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson together. 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. A university finally stands up to woke virtue signaling, GOPers stand up for life and against AG Merrick Garland, Biden's WHO pandemic treaty would kill Americans in the name of 'equity', Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, US home prices just did something they haven't done since 2012, Tom Sandoval breaks silence on Ariana Madix split amid cheating claims. 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. 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 Full Media Blackout: Bill de Blasio's Wife Can't Account For $850 You're logged in to Facebook. Thank you! 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. 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. We dont have everything, but we do have quite a bit.. Health Department employees now conduct the eight-hour classes daily at churches, schools and community centers. De Blasio insisted McCray is just as available to questions as he is, despite a majority of the first ladys events having no question and answer period. NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio's Wife Has Reportedly "Lost" $850 MILLION of 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. More than $15 million has been budgeted over the last three years for the effort; none has been spent. 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? If you love what we do, please consider a $1/month donation to keep us live! 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. Hey, its Noah and I want to make sure were connected on Twitter. He receives regular visits from a psychiatrist and a peer counselor. Health Department employees now conduct the eight-hour classes daily at churches, community centers and schools, like this one at Metropolitan College of New York. NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio's Wife "Can't Account For" $850 MILLION of 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. While this may appear to be a good idea to spend a lot of money on a mental health effort, it appears that no one has seen any actual results. 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. 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 MIDD progress report also explains how well each program was executed, what challenges were faced and the outcomes. From The Daily Mail (published in early March): Hey, the family that preys together stays together, right? Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert at the Washington University School of Law, said the legal rationale to keep McCray from collecting a salary is more than clear, but conceded there was a level of unfairness to the first ladys specific arrangement. 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. That first year, she began talking with Dr. Belkin. Thrive would then refer them to counseling, which is considered an effective way to treat the problem. The City Council discovered this shocking amount of potential waste . (Some are repeat callers, with a few who call as many as 200 times a day.). 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?