Duty to refer
The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 introduced a duty on specified public bodies in England to refer consenting people they believe to be homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days to a Council's Homelessness Service. The duty applies to a range of public bodies:
- Social Services Authorities (Adults and Children’s Social Care)
- NHS Services - A&E Services and Urgent Treatment Centres (Walk in Centre)
- NHS Services – Hospitals (when providing in-patient care)
- Job Centre Plus
- Prisons (Public and Private)
- Probation Services (including Community Rehabilitation Companies)
- Youth offender institutions
- Youth Offending Teams
- Secure Colleges and Training Centres
- The Secretary of State for Defence (in relation to members of Royal Navy, Royal Marine, Army
In addition to the above agencies who have a statutory duty to refer, Coventry City Council actively encourages referrals from all agencies who work with households who are at risk of homelessness.
Summary of 2022/2023 Referrals by Agencies
In 2022/2023, the council received 606 referrals from agencies that had a duty to refer, and an additional 539 referrals from agencies that do not have a duty to refer. Most referrals came from the National Probation Service and Supported Housing.
The breakdown of the agencies and the number of referrals made is as follows:
Figure 12 Families and Singles Referred by Agencies (No Duty to Refer)
Figure 13 Families and Singles Referred by Agency (No Duty to Refer)
