New Women’s Shelter To Open In Akureyri

A new women’s shelter is set to open on August 28th in Akureyri.

According to RÚV, this was stated by the Association for Women’s Shelters and Bjarmahlíð. The shelter is meant for women and children that have to leave their homes due to violence. Bjarmahlíð is a centre for victims of violence and has provided services in the North for the past year, the refuge being a new addition to those activities.

“It is an old dream come true for us. It was clear that there was also a need to offer housing solutions in the North, “says Sigþrúður Guðmundsdóttir, executive director of the Association for Women’s Shelters, in a conversation with RÚV.

“This is the first step out into the countryside. We only had housing in the capital area and we have received relatively few women from outside the capital area. We knew that there is no reason to believe that violence is less common out in the countryside,” she says.

The shelter is supposed to be opened in collaboration with municipalities in the Northeast, Aflið, the Minister of Social Affairs and Children and the Minister of Justice.

The opening of the shelter will be a pilot project until spring, but Sigþrúður says she is optimistic that the shelter will be operational for a long time. Signý Valdimarsdóttir, a social worker, has started working as a project manager for the new shelter and is currently working on preparations for the opening.

Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.

You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.