Homeless Reduction Act (HRA) was implemented by local authorities (LHA) in England in April 2018. The HRA includes new duties for the assessment, prevention and relief of homelessness. The Act included “Duty to Refer”
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Duty to Refer
The duty to refer places a statutory responsibility on public authorities in England to notify a local housing authority(LHA) of applicants they think may be homeless or at risk of becoming homeless within 56 days
Public Authorities with a Statutory Duty to Refer
The public authorities specified in the Homelessness Regulations 2018 include:
- Prisons
- Youth offenders institutions
- Secure training centres
- Secure colleges
- Youth offending teams
- Probation services(including rehabilitation companies)
- Jobcentre plus
- Social services
- Emergency departments
- Urgent treatment centres
- Hospitals in their function
What constitutes a referral?
The minimum information referrals to LA must include:
- The applicants name
- Applicants contact details
- The agreed reason for referral(eg applicant is homeless or at risk of homelessness)
- Applicants consent to refer
Referral process
Please complete the Duty to Refer form below if the customer meets the criteria set out in the diagram below.
