Looking to increase housing options
The town of Grindavík was evacuated on November 10. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon
There is a large demand for housing because of the evacuation of the town of Grindavík. All means are now being used to increase the availability of rental housing in the capital area and elsewhere, and people are asked to cancel holiday homes so they are available to the people of Grindavík.
The Red Cross and the social services in Grindavík are under pressure to allocate housing.
This was the statement made by Víðir Reynisson, Director of Civil Protection, at a briefing on the situation on the Reykjanes peninsula, earlier today.
He also advised the people of Grindavík who need a place to live to register on island.is.
Mostly whole year houses in holiday areas
“The houses that are available today and in the next few days are mostly whole-year houses in holiday areas. The unions in the country are offering us this for use free of charge and we thank them,” he said at the meeting.
According to Reynisson, people who had a booked holiday home are now working to give it up so more houses can be offered to the people of Grindavík. The trade unions, who own a lot of these holiday homes, have been met with a lot of understanding from their members.
“These are short-term solutions, but at the same time, we are looking for ways to increase the supply of rental properties in the capital area and to increase the number of places where people can stay for longer periods of time.”
