Reykjavík city council approved a measure to provided public aid to a neighborhood service center that seeks to help immigrants in the capital become better integrated.
The Reykjavík Office of Human Rights made a deal with Þjónustumiðstöð Miðborgar og Hlíða (Service Center for Downtown and Hlíðar) to provide counseling to the city’s immigrant community, Vísir reports. The assistance will come in the form of “helping immigrants better integrate and take an active part in society.” This will be accomplished through a combination of general counseling and legal advice.
The two employees of the center who will handle the counseling, Barbara Jean Kristvinson and Margrét Steinarsdóttir, are probably best known for the work they have done with Alþjóðahús, or the Intercultural Center.
The city has been taking recent steps towards assisting the integration of Reykjavík’s immigrant community. Last year, a special committee was formed comprised of immigrants who were to provide findings to the city for how they could better help the city’s immigrant population integrate better. Increased assistance in language services and information on labor rights were especially pressing issues.