Home Housing Housing Options Service Homeless situations Homelessness - hospital discharge
Moving out of your temporary accommodation over Christmas

If your property is managed by an agent, please contact them directly to hand in your keys and get a receipt. Do not leave the keys inside the property. For all other properties, the Housing Options Service will reopen on Friday 2 January 2026. To avoid extra charges, please return your keys to: Housing Options, Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ before midday on that day.

SECTION MENU

Leaving hospital

Homelessness - hospital discharge 

If you are being discharged from hospital and are facing homelessness, you should let the hospital nurse staff know as soon as possible. The hospital nurse staff will ask the discharge team to help if they can. All hospitals are required under homelessness law to notify the Council of anyone who is homeless or at risk of homelessness upon discharge from hospital.  

Whether you are being discharged from hospital due to physical health, mental health or any other reason, if an assessment of your circumstances and needs is needed, this assessment may take place in the hospital or over the phone prior to discharge. 

If you have a home but it needs to be adapted 

If you already have a home but it needs to be adapted, the hospital team may refer you to the council's home improvement agency, which is responsible for adaptations or disabled facilities grants. Alternatively, you can refer yourself by calling 02073645055. An occupational therapist may come to inspect your property to assess what adaptations are needed to help you live independently. Find out more about the home improvements agency. 

Find out more about aids and adaptations to live in your home. 

What help is available from the council’s Housing Options service? 

If you are homeless or due to be homeless in the next 56 days, the Council may have a legal duty to prevent or relieve your  homelessness. Find out more about your rights.

Use our Housing Options Finder tool to see what other options may be available to you - the sooner you know about your options, the sooner you can take the right action for you. 

For Public Bodies – Duty to Refer  

The Homelessness Reduction Act provides an opportunity to work more closely with partners in notifying us of people who are at homeless or at risk of homelessness.  The Duty to refer came in to force on 1st October 2018. The agencies that have this statutory duty include emergency departments, urgent treatment centres, hospitals in their in-patient care function. Find out more about the Duty to Refer.