Advice about homelessness
The Homelessness Reduction Act
Changes in how we can help people who are at risk of homelessness
On 3 April 2018, the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 came into force. The act puts a legal duty on councils to offer more support to a wider range of people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness and to intervene earlier.
So how does the new Act help? What does it mean for the people of Southwark who are homeless or at risk of homelessness?
The Act will require a fundamental change to the way the council delivers its homeless support and advice services.
From 3 April, new legal duties mean the council must:
- provide advice and carry out prevention work, so that where possible, people can be supported to remain in their current home
- offer everyone who is homeless or at risk of homelessness access to meaningful help, irrespective of their priority need status, as long as they are eligible for assistance
- carry out prevention and relief work for anyone threatened with homelessness within 56 days (up from the current 28 days)
Helpful guidance explaining these changes can be found in fact sheets produced by the government and in further detail in the code of guidance which sets out what Local Authorities, like Southwark, must follow to deliver the required homelessness services.
Page last updated: 05 January 2024
