RVA 5x5 - February 25, 2023

Cover and Reconnect; Short Staffed Social Services; Calling Earl Weaver; 51 Other Weeks In The Year; A New Prescription for Streets.

No algorithms. No content filters. Honest and insightful analysis from Richmond, VA.

STORY #1 — Short Staffed Social Services
There have been a lot of stories recently about the high number of vacancies in numerous City departments. Finance, Police, Human Resources, and on and on. Now we understand that the Department of Social Services (DSS) has joined that list and its mission to try and connect people to resources, including medical and wellness coverage, SNAP (aka food stamps), and other benefits and services. Tyler Layne at CBS6 found that that with the staffing shortage and skyrocketing number of cases, “it can take up to weeks or months to get benefits approved or even talk to a case worker.”

Latisha Carson is a care coordinator with a local home healthcare group, works with hundreds of senior citizens across Central Virginia and told Layne, "It's frustrating, especially with our seniors and disabled people who are trying to navigate the system," Carson said. "It should definitely…