In April 2018, the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 came into force in England — the most significant change to homelessness legislation in over a decade. It introduced new duties on local authorities to prevent and relieve homelessness, and created a new framework for how councils respond when people seek help.
Understanding the Act is relevant even if you do not work directly in local authority housing. Knowing what councils are required to do — and what they are not — helps you advocate for the people you support, set realistic expectations, and understand the wider system you are working within.
This module introduces the main duties introduced by the Act: the prevention duty, the relief duty, and the main housing duty. It explains what the 56-day period means in practice, who is eligible, and what happens when councils decide they cannot help.
This is a Developing-level module within Subject 1: Understanding Homelessness.