Emergency shelters should be open 24/7 - proposal by the Socialist Party of Iceland (Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands)

Reykjavík City Council approves that the city's emergency shelters be open 24/7 instead of the current arrangement from 17:00 to 10:00. In Reykjavík, there are three emergency shelters for homeless people. Individuals facing health problems are offered longer shelter, and the overnight shelters are open longer when storms or cold snaps are forecast. It is important that people have a roof over their heads every day of the year, at all times. The least that can be done is to ensure that emergency shelters are open 24/7. It must be ensured that there is always staff available to meet the diverse needs of those staying in the emergency shelters. The Department of Welfare (Velferðarsvið) will be tasked with implementing the content of the proposal.

In a response from the Department of Welfare, dated October 21, 2020, to an inquiry about a cost analysis of 24/7 opening of the city's emergency shelters, it is stated that it would cost 33 million ISK annually. Changes would need to be made to the agreement with Rótin regarding the operation of Konukot and consideration given to changes in the premises due to considerable overcrowding. To accommodate 24/7 opening, 1.8 full-time equivalent positions would need to be added to Konukot and 1 full-time equivalent position to the emergency shelter at Grandagarður (see responsehere). This was before additional funding for the agreement on the operation of Konukot was approved.

At a meeting of the Welfare Council (Velferðarráð) on December 8, 2021, changes were approved to the agreement with Rótin, an association of women regarding trauma and intoxicants, concerning the operation of an emergency shelter for women (Konukot). It was decided to stop relying on volunteer contributions, and changes were made to shift schedules accordingly. A team leader position was added, and changes were made to the salary ranking of the director due to the services staff will provide to women staying in small houses near Konukot. The director's salary was raised to be consistent with the salary of the director at the Grandagarður overnight shelter.

These changes were discussed in detail in the report by the director of the Department of Welfare, and it states that the total cost of these changes is approximately 29 million ISK per year. The report can be seenhere.

There are three emergency shelters in the city. The Lindargata overnight shelter is for homeless men, the Grandagarður emergency shelter is for younger homeless men, and Konukot is for homeless women. Dinner and breakfast are offered, as well as support and services from the VoR team (outreach and counseling team) and the staff of the emergency shelters.

The VoR team strives to assist homeless people with extensive and complex service needs. The team provides diverse assistance, support, and counseling, and disseminates information about available services. The team works, among other things, with people in emergency shelters, small houses, and in apartments where services are provided based on the 'Housing First' philosophy.

Rótin, which manages the operation of Konukot, works according to a harm reduction philosophy where the focus is on the women who use the service. As can be seen on Rótin's website, the organization and procedures are aimed at meeting the women's needs for the service. Staff members view the women as partners and take into account their needs and attitudes in accordance with Rótin's guidelines. Staff strive to meet each guest where they are and thus provide individualized and empowering service. Staff also assist guests in contacting a doctor, therapist, psychiatric department, or other similar parties if needed, and efforts are always made to work on guests' issues. Konukot offers laundry facilities and hygiene services.

Skjólið is a day center for women run by the Church Aid (Hjálparstarf kirkjunnar), and women in Konukot have access to Skjólið between 10:00 and 15:00 on all weekdays. In the emergency shelter for young homeless men, dinner and a light breakfast are offered, along with laundry facilities and hygiene services. In the overnight shelter, an emergency shelter for long-term homeless men, laundry facilities and hygiene services are offered, and individuals can receive an exemption to stay indoors outside regular opening hours if there is a health issue and no urgent medical attention is required.

Reykjavík City's policy on homelessness with extensive and complex service needs, valid for the years 2019-2025, has set out guidelines and overarching goals with metrics. One of these aims to ensure that no one is forced to sleep outside. It states, among other things, that municipalities have a duty to provide assistance to their residents when they cannot solve their housing problems themselves, and therefore the goal should be that no one is forced to sleep outside. To this end, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient number of emergency spaces and assess the need for temporary housing for people while permanent solutions are being worked on for each individual.

The socialist representative agrees on the importance of always having sufficient housing available, but notes here that it is not enough to consider the number of overnight spaces in emergency shelters; care must be taken to ensure that the shelters are always open.

It is important to consider the diverse needs of people, and therefore it is crucial that emergency shelters are open 24/7 and available to people regardless of the time of day. It is also important that people are not turned out in the mornings.Hereyou can see the policy on homelessness with extensive and complex service needs 2019-2025.