Homelessness - duty to refer
What you need to know
Some public authorities have a duty to refer (DTR) people facing homelessness to us.
These include:
- prisons
- youth offender institutions
- secure training centres
- secure colleges
- youth offending teams
- probation services
- JobCentre plus
- social service authorities
- emergency departments
- urgent treatment centres
- hospitals providing inpatient care
- the secretary of state for defence in relation to members of the regular forces
Before making a referral, a public authority must:
- have consent from the homelessness applicant
- allow the individual to choose public authority that they want the referral to
- have consent to share the individuals' contact details. This is so the housing services team can contact them