What do referral partners do?
Referral partners are professionals working in a wide variety of services who identify people in need.
Hounslow Community Foodbox
Referral partners work in a variety of services, including housing, benefits, health, advice and support, and many other areas.
If someone would like to receive emergency food and support from FoodBox they will need to go through our simple process as you cannot self-refer. We require a completed referral voucher, provided by a professional referral partner who is registered with us.
Our volunteers cannot make the decision about who should receive food parcels. Our referral partners are trusted professionals who help to identify people’s needs and refer them to us. You must be living in the London Borough of Hounslow to receive emergency support from FoodBox.
Our referral partners are working in many different areas that provide help to people in need. This includes people who are job seekers, applying for universal credit and benefits, having trouble paying bills and debts, have health issues, homeless or verging towards, parents with children struggling at school, and many more.
When someone in need of support is identified, the referral partner needs the person’s permission to complete a referral voucher, which they then pass on to FoodBox.
A FoodBox volunteer will contact the person referred to confirm their requirements and details for pick up from our community centre in Brentford or delivery. As long as we receive a completed referral voucher by 1pm, a food parcel will usually take 24 hours to prepare (except on Sundays and Mondays when we are closed), but in emergencies we sometimes can do it the same day.
One referral voucher form is valid for one food parcel. We aim to include sufficient food for the individual and family members referred for 4 days. Each parcel needs a new voucher form filled out by the referral partner. Please note, residents may be referred to FoodBox a maximum of 8 times in a 12-month period. This is to ensure that we can continue to maintain a quality service to those who are vulnerable and need it most.
Where a person has been referred 8 times in a 12-month period FoodBox expects the referral partner to review what other support options are available to reduce reliance on food support.and we reserve the option to decline referral requests. Typically, we expect the person, where appropriate to their needs, to be signposted in the first instance to Hounslow Connect. Additionally, the Council’s Community Solutions team is on 020 8583 2211 and can support with a wide range of early prevention pre-crisis help. Please note Community Solutions do not offer support where the resident already has an assigned support worker, or where the issue is specifically around their housing needs.
Once the referral voucher has been completed the referral partner needs to send it via email to info@hounslowfoodboxorg.uk and provide a copy to the person referred.
The FoodBox Referral Charter which sets out commitmments between FoodBox and referral partners can be downloaded from this page.