Homelessness - Duty to Refer

This page is for Public Authorities wishing to make statutory referrals as required under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

Specified public authorities have the duty to refer those people they consider are homeless (or threatened with homelessness within 56 days) to the Local Housing Authority from 1 October 2018.

• Prisons (public and private)
• Youth offender institutions
• Secure training centres
• Secure colleges
• Youth offending teams
• Probation services (community rehabilitation companies and national probation service)
• Jobcentre Plus
• Accident and emergency services provided in a hospital
• Urgent treatment centres
• Hospitals in their capacity of providing in-patient treatment
• Social service authorities

The Secretary of State for Defence is also subject to the duty to refer in relation to members of the regular forces. The regular forces are the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the Army and the Royal Air Force.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council would encourage you to speak to the Housing Options Team, on 01493 846140 before a referral is made.

Before you make the referral 

• You must have the person's consent
• You must allow the service user to identify the housing authority in England which they would like the notification to be made to
• You must have the consent from the service user that their contact details can be supplied so the housing authority can contact them.

• Complete the  Housing Referral Form (PDF) [185KB] (opens new window)  ensuring that the service user has signed the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) statement
• Enclose a copy of your consent form to demonstrate you have the consent of the service user to share their information with us
• Email the completed Housing Referral Form and consent form to dutytorefer@great-yarmouth.gov.uk

The referral form will be passed to one of our Housing Options Advisors who will make contact with the service user and arrange to take a homeless application from them. Ideally we will do this by inviting the service user to attend a pre-arrangement appointment at:

Greyfriars House
Greyfriars Way
Great Yarmouth
NR30 2QE

For those service users who are unable to attend our offices, we will complete a homeless application over the telephone.