Market Newsdesk

Wilkes-Barre, Pa., April 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GWC Warranty was named one of “The Most Powerful Companies in the Special Finance Industry” by SubPrime Auto Finance News. The list recognizes the industry’s leading providers in every aspect of the subprime auto financing space.

The Special Finance 175 acknowledges the “finance companies, service and technology providers, and other organizations that take the most risk and still flourish in this segment of auto financing,” says Nick Zulovich, Senior Editor of SubPrime Auto Finance News. And with many Americans still facing economic uncertainty due to the pandemic, risk remains prevalent in the industry.

In recent years, GWC has also compiled a long list of industry accolades, including being recognized by Subprime Auto Finance News as part of the Special Finance 175 (formerly known as the Subprime 175) six times since 2015. In 2003, GWC earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, which it maintains today. In 2014, GWC was also named a Motor Trend® Recommended Best Buy for Independent Dealers – a distinction it also still currently holds. 

To learn more about GWC, visit https://gwcwarranty.com/. To read more about the Special Finance 175, read their latest issue.

 

About GWC Warranty       

Since 1995, GWC Warranty has provided dealerships of all sizes with the right F&I solutions for used vehicles, with the vehicle protection products, training, and profit-building programs to help dealers optimize every sale and a best-in-class claims experience that helps strengthen dealership reputations. GWC is part of APCO Holdings, LLC, also home to the EasyCare and MemberCare brands and other private label automobile manufacturer products. For over 25 years, the APCO family of brands has served over 11 million customers and paid over $3.5 billion in claims, with an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. GWC, EasyCare, and MemberCare are the only “MotorTrend Recommended Best Buy” brands in the automotive aftermarket. For more information about the APCO Holdings brands, please visit apcoholdings.com.

Sarah Baker
GWC Warranty
678.225.1000 x 2206
[email protected]

Orlando, Florida, April 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: IZEA), the premier provider of influencer marketing technology, data, and services for the world’s leading brands, announced today that it has set a Managed Services bookings record for the best Q1 in company history. The announcement comes just one quarter after IZEA set a record for its best Q4 Managed Services bookings. IZEA continued the strong momentum that began in Q4, both adding a variety of new customers as well as benefiting from meaningful increases from existing customers. IZEA’s Managed Services bookings climbed 130% year over year in Q1 despite the impact the pandemic has had on a portion of IZEA’s historical customer base.

“This is the strongest Q1 Team IZEA has ever delivered, on multiple fronts,” said Ted Murphy, IZEA’s Chairman and CEO. “Not only have Managed Services bookings more than doubled, but we have also seen record signups for our SaaS offerings. Our total active SaaS customer base reached record numbers at the end of Q1 2021 – largely driven by IZEAx Discovery, our powerful and affordable influencer discovery tool.”

Bookings are a measure of all sales orders minus any known cancellations or refunds with respect to such sales orders or refunds. Management uses bookings to inform expectations of total sales activity. Bookings are not always an indicator of revenue for the quarter and could be subject to future adjustment. Revenue from Managed Services bookings are typically recognized over a 6-month period on average.

“We believe our investments in marketing and engineering are having a material impact on our trajectory as a company. In addition to the contracts we signed in Q1, we begin Q2 with a strong pipeline of additional opportunities with leading brands,” continued Murphy. “This quarter will also usher in a variety of meaningful platform upgrades to Shake, BrandGraph, and IZEAx, which we believe will attract additional customers for our SaaS offerings moving forward.”

About IZEA Worldwide, Inc.

IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (“IZEA”) operates IZEAx, the premier online marketplace that connects marketers with content creators. IZEAx automates influencer marketing and custom content development, allowing brands and agencies to scale their marketing programs. IZEA creators include celebrities and accredited journalists. Creators are compensated for producing unique content such as long and short form text, videos, photos, status updates, and illustrations for marketers or distributing such content on behalf of marketers through their personal websites, blogs, and social media channels. Marketers receive influential content and engaging, shareable stories that drive awareness. For more information about IZEA, visit https://izea.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement

All statements in this release that are not based on historical fact are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “hope,” “estimate,” “believe,” “intend,” “likely,” “projects,” “plans,” “pursue,” “strategy” or “future,” or the negative of these words or other words or expressions of similar meaning.  Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding expectations concerning IZEA’s ability to increase revenue and bookings, growth or maintenance of customer relationships, and expectations concerning IZEA’s business strategy. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including, among others, the following: competitive conditions in the content and social sponsorship segment in which IZEA operates; failure to popularize one or more of the marketplace platforms of IZEA; our ability to establish effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting; our ability to satisfy the requirements for continued listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market; changing economic conditions that are less favorable than expected; and other risks and uncertainties described in IZEA’s periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements made in this release speak only as of the date of this release, and IZEA assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in expectations, except as otherwise required by law.

Martin Smith
IZEA Worldwide, Inc.
Phone: 407-674-6911
Email: [email protected]

NEW YORK, April 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Attorney Advertising — Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Tyson Foods, Inc. (“Tyson” or “the Company”) (NYSE: TSN) and certain of its officers, on behalf of shareholders who purchased or otherwise acquired Tyson securities between March 13, 2020 through December 15, 2020, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm’s site: www.bgandg.com/tsn.

This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, and failed to disclose to investors that: (1) Tyson Foods, Inc. (“Tyson”) knew, or should have known, that the highly contagious coronavirus was spreading throughout the globe; (2) Tyson did not in fact have sufficient safety protocols to protect its employees in its facilities; (3) as a result, Tyson employees contracted and spread the coronavirus within the facilities; (4) as a result of the foregoing, Tyson would face negative impact to its production, including complete shutdowns of certain facilities; (5) due to the failure to protect its employees, Tyson would suffer financial harm related to its lowered production; and (6) as a result, Defendants’ public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times.

A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firm’s site: www.bgandg.com/tsn or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in Tyson you have until April 5, 2021 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff.  Your ability to share in any recovery doesn’t require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique.  Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients.  In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firm’s expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration.   Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact:
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
Peretz Bronstein or Yael Hurwitz
212-697-6484 | [email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $1.7 million in grants to conserve monarch butterflies and other insect pollinators in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The grants will generate $3.3 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $5 million.

The grants were awarded through the Monarch Butterfly and Pollinators Conservation Fund (Pollinator Fund), a partnership between NFWF and Bayer Crop Science, Shell Oil Company, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Monarch butterflies and pollinators make essential contributions to natural ecosystems, agriculture and the economy,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “The grants announced today will advance collaborations with public and private land managers to restore and improve habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.”

The projects supported by the 13 grants announced today will increase the quality and quantity of pollinator habitat for monarch butterflies, rusty patched bumble bees and other native pollinators. The projects will also enhance outreach and organizational coordination. Collectively, the funded projects will:

• Restore and enhance more than 32,000 acres of pollinator habitat
• Collect more than 200 pounds of milkweed seed
• Propagate more than 19,000 milkweed seedlings
• Host more than 160 workshops and meetings that advance pollinator conservation

“It is our great pleasure to support work that will have lasting impacts on monarch butterflies and other wildlife through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,” said Kevin Nichols, Senior Vice President, US Pipeline. “These investments bring long-term benefits to the environment and communities where we live and work.”

“These grants enable us to increase capacity to help landowners and land managers plan and implement key conservation practices that benefit the monarch butterfly,” said NRCS acting Chief Terry Cosby. “Through collaborations with NFWF and many other partners, NRCS has worked with private landowners to create or manage nearly 500,000 acres of habitat on working lands. These efforts are vital for achieving healthy and sustainable populations of monarch butterflies and pollinators.”

The monarch butterfly is one of the most iconic species in North America and its annual migration cycle is one of the most remarkable natural phenomena in the world. However, over the past 20 years, the monarch butterfly population has declined by more than 80 percent throughout much of its range. Several other pollinators have experienced similarly dramatic declines in recent decades. Habitat loss is a primary threat to many of these species.

In 2015, NFWF established the Monarch Butterfly and Pollinators Conservation Fund, a public–private partnership that funds projects to protect, conserve and increase habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. By leveraging the resources and expertise of its partners, the fund is helping to reverse recent population declines and ensure the survival of these valuable species.

A complete list of the 2020 grants made through the Monarch Butterfly and Pollinators Conservation Fund is available here. A short video about the Monarch Butterfly and Pollinators Conservation Fund can be viewed here​​.

About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation



Chartered by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) protects and restores the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 5,000 organizations and generated a conservation impact of $6.8 billion. Learn more at

www.nfwf.org

.

About Shell

Shell companies have operations in more than 70 countries and territories with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of liquefied natural gas and gas to liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects. Over the past 100 years, Shell has helped preserve and protect habitat and species through hundreds of conservation projects and initiatives. Collaborating with key organizations and environmental NGOs has enabled Shell to leverage its efforts to ensure the highest possible impact – including the protection of more than 13 million acres of wetlands.

About the Natural Resources Conservation Service

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides one-on-one, personalized advice on the best solutions to meet the unique conservation and business goals of those who grow our nation’s food and fiber.  NRCS helps landowners make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the health of our air, water, and soil. NRCS also generates, manages, and shares the data, research and standards that enable partners and policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science. In simpler terms, NRCS’s focus is “Helping People Help the Land.” For more information, visit

www.nrcs.usda.gov

​
. 

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Rob Blumenthal
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
(202) 857-0166
[email protected]

New Deal Supports Customer that Processes Over

30 Billion Transactions Worth Almost $1 Trillion Per Year

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, April 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Data443 Risk Mitigation, Inc. (“Data443” or the “Company”) (OTCPK: ATDS), a leading data security and privacy software company, is pleased to announce its latest contract to provide data security services to a major global merchant and payment processing provider which is part of one the world’s largest banks. The new contract is anticipated to yield over $200,000 to Data443 over the next 12 months.

“This latest contract win further validates the unique capabilities of our secured transport technology and how we continue to provide valuable, on point and directly consumable solutions for the financial services sector,” said Jason Remillard, Founder and CEO of Data443. “These capabilities support the underpinning of major services we all use every day, things we probably don’t often think about – but certainly do if they don’t work. And this is the work of information security and data transport – doing the work consistently, quietly and reliably, so we and more importantly – our customers – don’t make the news.”

“This deal comes after our recent launch of Data443^® Ransomware Recovery Manager^™, which continues to gather significant interest due to its unique three step capability to: Classify & Identify Data; Encrypt and Protect Data; and then finally, Recover the Data and the device it is on. These capabilities are accomplished while ignoring any extortion demands – since all of the data is protected by our Digital Rights Management technology (which means it is useless in the hackers’ hands), and the computers that were infected and can be easily recovered by anyone that can perform a reboot. We are proud to be the only provider in the world to provide a solution that has this depth of capabilities that can be used in important settings like hospitals, schools, manufacturing, defense and government entities.” concluded Mr. Remillard.

Ransomware Recovery Manager is available immediately from Data443 at: https://data443.com/products/ransomware-recovery-manager/

Interested parties may also contact sales directly at: [email protected] or call us at: 855-DATA-443.

About Data443 Risk Mitigation, Inc.

Data443 Risk Mitigation, Inc. (OTCPK: ATDS), is an industry leader in All Things Data Security^™, providing software and services to enable secure data across local devices, network, cloud, and databases, at rest and in flight. Its suite of products and services is highlighted by:

(i) Sensitive Content Manager (ARALOC^™), which is a market leading secure, cloud-based platform for the management, protection and distribution of digital content to the desktop and mobile devices, which protects an organization’s confidential content and intellectual property assets from leakage — malicious or accidental — without impacting collaboration between all stakeholders;

(ii) Data Archive Manager (ArcMail^®), which is a leading provider of simple, secure and cost-effective enterprise data retention management, archiving and management solutions;

(iii) Data Identification Manager (ClassiDocs^™ and FileFacets^®), the Company’s award-winning data classification and governance technology, which supports CCPA, LGPD and GDPR compliance in a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that performs sophisticated data discovery and content search of structured and unstructured data within corporate networks, servers, content management systems, email, desktops and laptops;

(iv) ClassiDocs^™ for Blockchain, which provides an active implementation for the Ripple XRP that protects blockchain transactions from inadvertent disclosure and data leaks;

(v) Data443^® Global Privacy Manager™, the privacy compliance and consumer loss mitigation platform which is integrated with ClassiDocs^™ to do the delivery portions of GDPR and CCPA as well as process Data Privacy Access Requests – removal request – with inventory by ClassiDocs™; enables the full lifecycle of Data Privacy Access Requests, Remediation, Monitoring and Reporting;

(vi) Data443^® Chat History Scanner, which scans chat messages for Compliance, Security, PII, PI, PCI & custom keywords;

(vii) Data Placement Manager (DATAEXPRESS^®), the leading Data transport, transformation and delivery product trusted by leading financial organizations worldwide;

(viii) Access Control Manager (Resilient Access^™), which enables fine-grained access controls across myriad platforms at scale for internal client systems and commercial public cloud platforms like Salesforce, Box.Net, Google G Suite, Microsoft OneDrive and others;

(ix) the GDPR Framework WordPress plugin, with over 30,000 active site owners, enables organizations of all sizes to comply with the GDPR and other privacy frameworks;

(x) The CCPA Framework WordPress plugin, which enables organizations of all sizes to comply with the CCPA privacy framework;

(xi) LGPD Framework WordPress plugin, which enables organizations of all sizes to comply with the Brazilian GDPR/LGPD privacy rules; and

(xii) IntellyWP, a leading purveyor of user experience enhancement products for webmasters for the world’s largest content management platform, WordPress.

For more information, please visit https://www.data443.com.

Forward-Looking Statements 

The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “pursuant,” “target,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding Data443’s plans, objectives, future opportunities for Data443’s services, future financial performance and operating results and any other statements regarding Data443’s future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, financial conditions, assumptions or future events or performance that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, many of which are beyond Data443’s control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and include, without limitation, results of litigation, settlements and investigations; actions by third parties, including governmental agencies; volatility in customer spending; global economic conditions; ability to hire and retain personnel; loss of, or reduction in business with, key customers; difficulty with growth and integration of acquisitions; product liability; cybersecurity risk; anti-takeover measures in our charter documents; and, the uncertainties created by the ongoing outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus that was recently named by the World Health Organization as COVID-19. These and other important risk factors are described more fully in our reports and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“the SEC”), including under (i) “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors”, in our Registration Statement on Form 10 filed with the SEC on January 11, 2019 and amended on April 24, 2019; (ii) “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors”, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 23, 2021; and, (iii) subsequent filings. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are based on information available to us on the date hereof. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise.

The Data443^™ logo, ClassiDocs^™ logo, ARALOC^™ logo, ARCMAIL^®, DATAEXPRESS^® and FILEFACETS^® are all registered trademarks of Data443 Risk Mitigation, Inc.

All product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks and brands does not imply endorsement.
All other trademarks cited herein are the property of their respective owners.

For Further Information:

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/data443Risk
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/data443/
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/data443-risk-mitigation-inc/
Signup for our Investor Newsletter: https://www.data443.com/investor-relations/

Investor Relations Contact:
Matthew Abenante
[email protected]
919.858.6542

Boca Raton, Florida, April 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company (OTCQB:WINR) (“Simplicity Esports”), announced that it has acquired the assets of a gaming center previously owned by a PLAYlive Nation franchisee in Vancouver, WA. The location was originally opened in 2013 and has a database of over 17,000 unique customers. The Vancouver gaming center is expected to reopen in mid April.

Roman Franklin, CEO of Simplicity Esports, stated, “The Vancouver location is our fourteenth corporate owned gaming center and eighth on the West Coast. We plan to continue with strategic gaming center acquisitions as well as construction of new locations throughout 2021. The disruptions in the commercial real estate market, due to COVID-19 lockdowns have created an amazing opportunity to partner with landlords that are enthusiastic about our esports gaming centers being an experiential draw to increase foot traffic for their malls. I expect Vancouver and our other corporate gaming centers with percentage rent leases to be profitable within the first 30 days of operating at full capacity.”

Last week Simplicity Esports also announced multiple deals including a sponsorship and sublicensing agreement with its Brazilian subsidiary, Flamengo Esports totaling $200,000 USD.

About Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company:

Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company (WINR) is an established brand within the esports industry, competing and streaming in popular games across different genres, including Apex Legends^®, PUBG Mobile^®, Overwatch^®, League of Legends^®, and various EA Sports^® titles. Simplicity Esports is also in the process of designing, minting, and selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for the esports and gaming industries. Simplicity Esports also owns and operates 13 and is the franchisor for more than 20 Esports Gaming Centers providing the public an opportunity to experience gaming and esports in a social setting, regardless of skill or experience. Simplicity Esports also organizes and hosts various in-person events and play from home, online tournaments. Simplicity Esports also owns a Riot Games League of Legends franchise and top Brazilian esports organization, Flamengo Esports.

Apex Legends^®, PUBG Mobile^®, Overwatch^®, League of Legends^®, Fortnite^®, EA Sports^® and Free Fire^® are registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond Simplicity Esports’ control, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of Simplicity Esports’ Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on August 31, 2020 and our subsequent SEC filings, as amended or updated from time to time. Copies of Simplicity Esports’ filings with the SEC are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Simplicity Esports undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Simplicity Esports Contact:

Roman Franklin
Chief Executive Officer
[email protected]
561-819-8586

NEW YORK, April 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bernstein Liebhard, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of Clover Health Investments Corp. (“Clover” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: CLOV) from October 6, 2020 and February 4, 2021 (the “Class Period”). The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

If you purchased Clover securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Clover Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Matthew E. Guarnero toll free at (877) 779-1414 or [email protected]

According to the complaint, the Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Clover was the recipient of a Civil Investigative Demand from the DOJ; (ii) much of Clover’s sales are driven by a major related party deal that Clover not only failed to disclose but took active steps to conceal; (iii) Clover’s subsidiary Seek Insurance failed to disclose its relationship with Clover and misled consumers as to its purported independence; (iv) Clover’s software was in fact rudimentary; and (v) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

The truth was revealed to investors on February 4, 2021, when Hindenburg Research published a report stating that Clover had been under active investigation by the DOJ for at least 12 issues, ranging from kickbacks to marketing practices to undisclosed third-party deals. Clover had not revealed the existence of the DOJ inquiry prior to the merger.

On this news, Clover shares fell 12.3% from a closing price of $13.95 on February 3, 2021 to a closing price of $12.23 on February 4, 2021.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 6, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn’t require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.

If you purchased Clover securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit https://www.bernlieb.com/cases/cloverhealthinvestmentscorp-clov-shareholder-class-action-lawsuit-stock-fraud-360/apply/ or contact Matthew E. Guarnero toll free at (877) 779-1414 or [email protected]

Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal’s “Plaintiffs’ Hot List” thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years.

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2020 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. The lawyer responsible for this advertisement in the State of Connecticut is Michael S. Bigin. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information

Matthew E. Guarnero
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
https://www.bernlieb.com
(877) 779-1414
[email protected]

Rockville, Md., April 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As of 2019, homeless encampments were appearing in numbers not seen since in almost a century. The growth of encampments mirrored the increase in unsheltered homelessness overall, reflecting a complex set of societal factors, including a lack of affordable housing and the persistence of deep poverty. Although encampments have implications for the health, safety, and well-being of the people living in them and can negatively affect the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses, communities have only a weak knowledge base on which to structure their response.

Exploring Homelessness among People Living in Encampments and Associated Costs, a new study conducted by Abt Associates for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is one of the first efforts to bolster that knowledge base.

After completing a literature review, the Abt team studied and interviewed officials in nine cities currently responding to encampments: Chicago; Fresno and San Jose, Calif.; Houston; Las Vegas; Minneapolis; Philadelphia; Portland, Ore.; and Tacoma, Wash. Additionally, in fall 2019, the team conducted site visits to Chicago, Houston, San Jose, and Tacoma to collect cost information on expenditures explicitly related to encampments, interview implementation partners, observe encampments, and interview a small number of encampment residents.

 Findings

• People are living in encampment settings because of the lack of affordable housing opportunities in their communities. Researchers and stakeholders in the nine cities cited the lack of affordable housing and shortcomings in the local shelter systems, including insufficient beds or programs with high barriers for entry, as two reasons why people are living in encampment settings. Most people living in encampments have ties to their local community, having grown up in the city or immediate geographic area.
• In four cities, a diverse set of implementation partners worked to clear and close encampments while providing intensive outreach services. The Mayor’s office or other city departments typically coordinated the response of partners not traditionally involved in homeless assistance, including departments of solid waste and sanitation, transportation, and local environmental organizations. Homeless service providers visited encampments regularly to deliver outreach and case management services ahead of cleaning, clearing, and the ultimate closure of encampments.
• In 2019, four cities spent between $3,393,000 and $8,557,000 annually, on encampment-related activities. These expenditures include costs related to outreach, clearance and prevention activities, as well as emergency shelter costs and in one city, permanent supportive housing. In all four cities, the largest funder of encampment response activities is city government.

To support future encampment response efforts as well as assistance for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness overall, some cities are exploring and identifying other ways to fund their activities (e.g., special assessments and taxes). State and federal governments should also explore how to make more funding available for outreach to connect people with support services in addition to the funding for encampment clearance and closure activities.

“Homeless encampments are a complex issue that require cities to coordinate many partners across multiple levels of government in their response,” said Abt’s Lauren Dunton, the study’s lead author. “Ultimately, people living in encampments often don’t have access to permanent, affordable housing or the existing services and supports are not meeting their needs. While we conducted our research prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these issues are even more heightened now.”

Dunton added, “This study offers some approaches that federal, state, and local governments can use to help people living in encampments.”

Read the full report here.

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About Abt Associates

Abt Associates is a global consulting and research firm that uses data and bold thinking to improve the quality of people’s lives. From combatting infectious disease and conducting rigorous program evaluations, to ensuring safe drinking water and promoting access to affordable housing – and more – we partner with clients and communities to tackle their most complex challenges.

Eric Tischler
Abt Associates
[email protected]