In Reykjavik, Tiny Houses For The Homeless Closer To Reality

The first of 25 tiny houses that the City of Reykjavík intends to buy for the city’s homeless are nearly ready to be put to use before the beginning of next year, Fréttablaðið reports. The minimum rent being offered is 40,000 ISK per month, but it has not yet been decided where the houses will be put.

City Council approved earmarking some 450 million ISK for the houses last week, and the topic of homelessness has been prominent in the Welfare Committee. Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir, the chair of the committee, contends that 80 individuals in the city are in need of special assistance.

“We consider this a good first step,” she told reporters. “We already have two such houses out at Grandi [in west Reykjavík] and they’ve been working quite well.”

The latest data shows there are some 350 homeless individuals in Reykjavík, and they all have different needs. Alongside the effort to put up the tiny homes, there are also plans to buy guesthouses and individual apartments. It has not been decided where the tiny houses will be placed, but they will have differences between them.

“We are examining locations, and will try to have the houses not too close to one another, to spread them out across the city and hope that city residents show them understanding,” Heiða said. Although highest available rents have not been decided, the minimum rent charged will be 40,000 ISK—significantly lower than the average rent for an apartment in Reykjavík.