Duty to Refer

Duty to refer under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017

The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 places a legal duty on some organisations in England.
They must refer people to the council if they believe they are homeless or may become homeless soon.

This duty has been in place since Monday 1 October 2018.

Who can make a referral

The following organisations can refer people:

  • Adult and children’s social care services
  • NHS services (A&E, urgent treatment centres and walk-in centres)
  • NHS hospitals when providing in-patient care
  • Jobcentre Plus
  • Prisons
  • Probation services, including community rehabilitation companies
  • Youth offender institutions
  • Youth offending teams
  • Secure colleges and training centres
  • The Secretary of State for Defence for members of the armed forces

You should make a referral as soon as possible.

How to make a referral

You can make a referral using your organisation’s Housing Jigsaw Alert system.

If you are using it for the first time, you need to create an account:

  1. Select Register
  2. Enter your name and work email address
  3. Wait for your password link (sent within 2 hours)
  4. Use the link within 24 hours to set your password
  5. Log in using your email and password
  6. Answer the questions about your organisation
  7. Submit the form

You can then start making referrals.

Important:

  • A referral does not create an emergency response
  • If someone is already homeless, call 0121 368 1166 for advice
  • Calls outside normal hours will go to the Out of Hours Duty Officer

Before you start

A referral is not the same as a homelessness application.
The person will still need to apply if they want help from us.

Before you make a referral, you must:

  • Get consent from the person being referred
  • Let them choose which housing authority they want to be referred to
  • Get consent to share their contact details

What you need to complete a referral

You will need:

  • A Housing Jigsaw account with a valid work email address
  • Details about the person or household, including:
    • Contact details
    • Preferred way to be contacted
    • Current housing situation (if known)
    • Any support needs (if known)
  • Confirmation that you have their consent

You can complete the form with the person if possible.
If not, you can enter the information you have.

What happens next

Our Housing Solutions team will:

  • Contact the person to offer advice and support
  • Decide if a full homelessness application is needed

If an application is made, we will:

  • Allocate a Housing Solutions Officer
  • Carry out a housing assessment
  • Agree a personal housing plan

The aim is to help the person find suitable accommodation for at least six months.

If we cannot prevent or relieve homelessness, we will check if the person qualifies for long-term housing.
This depends on their situation, including priority need and whether they are homeless through no fault of their own.

After you submit a referral

You can:

  • Check the progress of the referral in the portal
  • See if we have responded
  • Download a copy of the referral
  • Share a copy with the person

Further information and contact

You can find more support on our Housing Solutions webpages.

To contact our Housing Solutions team, email:
DutytoRefer@sandwell.gov.uk

You can also read the Duty to Refer fact sheet for more information.