We invite you to become a WeLoveTrump insider. 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. The New York Post ran a story on speculation that McCray was being groomed for political office. But lets be clear: If your boondogglery sets the New York City Council back on its heels, you truly are soaring with the eagles. 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 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. The Thrive program budgeted millions to create diversion centers, a place other than jail for officers to bring those experiencing a mental health crisis. You may opt out at anytime. (VIDEO) Donald Trump Pitches Agenda 47: Create Freedom Cities. 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. Bill de Blasio's wife cant account for $850 million allocated to her pet project. @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." His wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $850 million for a mental health program she was spearheading, The Daily Mail reported. "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. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to theNew York Post. He now regularly names Thrive as one of his administrations core achievements. 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. Legal Statement. 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. Zelensky Exposed (Literally): This Is The Guy We Are Sending Billions To? 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? | Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office. 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. 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. 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. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Things happen. Type above and press Enter to search. Some requested anonymity for fear of retaliation while others were more vocal in their critiques. The biggest challenge for Mr. de Blasio and Ms. McCray has been to identify concrete results. 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? Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. With Thrive, spending rose to $346 million in fiscal year 2018, according to an analysis by the City Council. . 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Tap here to add The Western Journal to your home screen. Sign up for our free email newsletter, and we'll make sure to keep you in the loop. Please check your email inbox to confirm your message and send it to our editorial team. 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. The IBO budget shows $816 million. Officials are also collecting survey data. 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. She is routinely visible around de Blasio at times when he is making high profile announcements and administration appointments. Something happened that triggered the need for me to go, she said without elaborating. Hey, its Noah and I want to make sure were connected on Twitter. 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. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. If we want to reach all these women, we need to start somewhere. 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. What do they always tell you when youre in high school or in college? The phones at NYC-WELL ring constantly, 180,000 times in 2018, according to city data. 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. Despite that, the program has been granted an even bigger budget going forward and is now on track to spend $1billion over five years. That is, once upon a time, first spouses were content to pretend to be in charge of prettifying highways and things. 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. Its safe again and were having a lot of fun over there. 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. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. Weve actually built the first rational approach to the real scope and breadth of the need. 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. 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. That escalated the situation, he said. Spencer Cox to sign bill banning abortion clinic operations. We invite you to become a WeLoveTrump insider. Laura Ingraham has even called it a scheme. It is not, in the end, just about money. 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. 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. (Some are repeat callers, with a few who call as many as 200 times a day.). Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. 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. 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 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. 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. How about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? 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 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. However, according to current and former employees in the Mayors office -- and public records --McCrays staff makes closer to $2 million. 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. The new focus for the program is the second time the city has attempted to retrain Thrives focus. Think Stockholm syndrome, rolled into a big ball with the United Federation of Teachers. Helping the seriously mentally ill remains a challenge, especially in a crisis. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Actually, first lady Chirlane McCray works hard for free, her husband Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday, and he is not happy about it. Thrive would then refer them to counseling, which is considered an effective way to treat the problem. 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. 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. 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. 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. Advertisement - story continues below We cant have a universality in this from day one, he added. For instance, Thrive calculates how many mayors attended a national conference on mental health just seven when New York City hosted it in 2017. 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. Chirlane McCray can't explain where the $850m in funding has gone after it was given to the organization she runs, ThriveNYC. But there is no corresponding data on how many were used or how effective the outreach was. How about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? The MIDD progress report also explains how well each program was executed, what challenges were faced and the outcomes. 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. All registered. 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. But he bemoaned the inadequacy of state funding, and called the citys contracting process broken. Anyone can read what you share. Frustration over Thrives veteran outreach program spilled over into a tense Council hearing just this week. Thrives two-year report, released in February 2018, offers cumulative data, like the number of medical professionals trained to prescribe treatment for opioid use. Seven mayors attended a 2017 national mental health conference in New York City. 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. From The Daily Mail (published in early March): From Daily Mail: Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray cannot explain where $850million given to the mental . Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. 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. Seven mayors attended a 2017 national mental health conference in New York City. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of 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!' Thats because there never was any doubt what the program was about. Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox for free every day by signing up below. 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. Things happen. 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. Bill de Blasio's Wife Can't Account For $850 Million Collected De Blasio and 'co-mayor' wife have wasted $1.8B of taxpayer money 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 program's inception and nobody seems to have a clue on what. One, fromfrom City Hall, showed $594million in spending, but a second, from the Independent Budget Office, showed $816milion. Thank you! Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. How about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? Budget watchdogs have lamented Thrives opacity. I think its safe to say that Bill DeBlasios presidential prospects are dead in the water before they even started. I first saw the story online under the title: "Bill DeBlasio's Wife Reportedly Loses $850 Million of Taxpayer Funds! Insight from Dr. Oscar Odom, former NYPD detective. Read our full Disclosure. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. Ms. McCray implores those she meets to take the course, which includes discussions and role playing. 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. (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. 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.