THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 31, 1995 TAG: 9503300243
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
Welfare is a hot topic in Richmond and Washington these days as politicians debate proposals for reforming the system.
But what does all that talk mean here in Virginia Beach?
More than $105 million in financial assistance was handed out last year in Virginia Beach, with 58 percent of the money coming from Washington and 38 percent from Richmond.
The number of cases handled each month by Virginia Beach Social Services has grown from about 7,000 in 1985 to about 27,000 a decade later.
The lion's share of the money, 51 percent, is doled out in the form of Medicaid, which basically reimburses doctors and hosptials for medical bills.
Food stamps, or coupons that can be exchanged for food items at stores, account for another 20 percent of the funds. Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) amounts to 10 percent.
But who are these people getting this help?
We offer snapshots of three families or individuals in Virginia Beach who say they're grateful for the help and don't know what they'd do without it, given their present circumstances.
What we won't offer you is any judgments about the programs or people. We'll leave that to you - and to the leaders you helped elect. MEMO: [For related cover stories, see page 10 and 11 of The Beacon for this
date.]
ILLUSTRATION: WELFARE IN VIRGINIA BEACH
Graphic
STAFF
SOURCE: Virginia Beach Social Services Department
[Graphic was not available electronically.]
KEYWORDS: WELFARE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE by CNB