In 2015, New York City launched an ambitious mental health initiative called ThriveNYC to tackle the city’s growing mental health crisis. Then, First Lady Chirlane McCray spearheaded the program, promising to revolutionize mental health care by making it more accessible and effective for all New Yorkers. With an initial budget of $850 million over four years, ThriveNYC aimed to address deep-seated issues within the mental health system and provide support to the city’s most vulnerable populations. However, nearly a decade later, ThriveNYC’s legacy has become one of controversy and unmet expectations. So, what happened to this once-promising initiative?
The Vision of ThriveNYC
ThriveNYC began with a bold vision: to create a comprehensive, citywide approach to mental health care to fill the existing system’s gaps. The initiative focused on several key areas, including early intervention, substance abuse treatment, support for people experiencing homelessness, and suicide prevention. It aimed to integrate mental health services into every aspect of city life—from schools to police departments—and ensure that every New Yorker, regardless of income or background, had access to the necessary care.
At the time, mental health advocates hailed the program as a groundbreaking effort to address a pressing public health issue. The city’s mental health crisis was severe, with over half a million adults suffering from depression and nearly 300,000 children living with emotional or behavioral disorders. ThriveNYC offered an innovative response to a long-ignored problem.
The Cost: $1.25 Billion and Counting
Despite its noble intentions, ThriveNYC quickly became synonymous with bureaucratic inefficiency and questionable outcomes. The program’s initial budget of $850 million ballooned to an estimated $1.25 billion over five years. This staggering sum was meant to fund various programs and services, but the results failed to justify the investment.
Critics pointed out that ThriveNYC needed more explicit goals and measurable outcomes. Reports emerged that the program’s administrators struggled to provide essential data on how many people had been helped or how effectively the money was being spent. In a city where mental health resources are desperately needed, this lack of accountability raised serious concerns about the program’s management.
The People Who Didn’t Get Help
One of ThriveNYC’s most glaring failures lay in its inability to reach the very populations it intended to serve. Despite the enormous investment, many of the city’s most vulnerable residents—such as people experiencing homelessness, low-income families, and people of color—saw little to no benefit from the program.
For instance, one of ThriveNYC’s key components involved placing mental health counselors in public schools. While well-intentioned, this initiative quickly revealed its limitations. Many schools reported an inability to hire qualified counselors and those that did found them overwhelmed by the sheer volume of students needing help. Sometimes, counselors were responsible for hundreds of students, making providing meaningful, individualized care impossible.
Similarly, ThriveNYC’s efforts to address mental health issues among the homeless population fell short. Despite significant funding, homelessness continued to rise in New York City, and many individuals with severe mental health conditions remained on the streets without adequate support. Critics argued that ThriveNYC’s broad approach failed to target those who needed the most intensive and specialized care.
Where Is ThriveNYC Now?
By 2020, mounting criticism led the city to wind down ThriveNYC quietly. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the program’s decline as attention and resources shifted to more immediate public health concerns. In December 2021, the city officially announced that ThriveNYC would be phased out and replaced by the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health.
The new office addresses some of ThriveNYC’s shortcomings by focusing on more targeted, community-based approaches to mental health care. Unlike its predecessor, the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health promises greater transparency, accountability, explicit goals, and rigorous oversight.
However, questions remain about ThriveNYC’s legacy and what its failures mean for the future of mental health care in New York City. The initiative’s demise highlights the challenges of addressing complex social issues through large-scale, government-run programs. It also underscores the need for careful planning, clear metrics, and ongoing evaluation in any public health initiative.
The Lessons Learned
ThriveNYC’s story is a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when good intentions lack effective execution. The program’s failure to deliver on its promises reminds us that while large sums of money are necessary, they are not sufficient to solve deep-rooted problems like mental health. Success requires investment, strategic planning, accountability, and a focus on measurable outcomes.
As New York City moves forward with new approaches to mental health care, the lessons from ThriveNYC will be crucial in shaping more effective and sustainable solutions. The hope is that the next generation of mental health initiatives will meet the needs of all New Yorkers, particularly those who are most at risk.