Telephone payments on Thursday 22 January
We will not be able to take payments over the telephone on Thursday 22 January 2026. This is due to essential system maintenance. We apologise for the inconvenience.
Duty to refer
Duty to refer is part of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. Some public authorities have a duty to refer a person to us if they are homeless or threatened with homelessness
It helps people to access homelessness services as soon as possible.
It means that peoples’ housing needs are thought about when they come into contact with services across Suffolk.
These could be:
- Prisons
- Youth offender institutions
- Secure training centres
- Secure colleges
- Youth offending teams
- Probation services (including community rehabilitation companies)
- Jobcentre plus
- Social service authorities
- Emergency departments
- Urgent treatment centres
- Hospitals in their function of providing inpatient care
- The Secretary of State for Defence (for members of Royal Navy, Royal Marine, Army and Royal Air Force)
If they know that someone is homeless or about to be, they are now legally required to tell us. They must seek consent from the individual first.
We will contact the individual and talk to them about what support they may need.
Please note, Duty to Refer referrals do not generate a Homeless Application.