Accessibility issues

Women who come to our Women's Shelter come from all groups in society, including disabled and chronically ill women. The Women's Shelter has good collaboration with sign language interpreters, social workers, disability rights advocates and interpreters.

Accessibility

Unfortunately, the current premises of the Women's Shelter are not wheelchair accessible. Therefore, we have made arrangements so that all women who use wheelchairs, walkers and/or other assistive devices can come to us for stays and interviews.

Stay

If you would like to stay where accessibility is important, whether you are looking for a stay in Reykjavík or Akureyri, please contact us at 561-1205 and we will go over the next steps. The phone is open XNUMX hours a day.

The Reykjavík Women's Shelter has this email. kvennaathvarf@kvennaathvarf.is and this facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kvennaathvarf/

The women's shelter in Akureyri has this email nordurland@kvennaathvarf.is and this facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Kvennaathvarf.Nordurland

Interviews

You can book a telephone interview with a counselor at the Women's Shelter, but you can also have an interview via the Teams app.

If a woman wants to attend an interview, she can go to Bjarkarhlíð at Bleikargróf 6 or Bjarmahlíð at Aðalstræti 14 in Akureyri, which are partners of the Women's Shelter. The shelter's counselors have regular interview hours at Bjarkarhlíð and there is good access for people with mobility impairments. Arrangements have been made with the social welfare authorities in Akureyri to ensure access for people with mobility impairments to interviews at Bjarmahlíð.

You can contact Bjarkarhlíð by phone at 553 3000, which is open from 9 am to 17 pm every weekday. You can also contact us via email at bjarkarhlid@bjarkarhlid.is or book an interview online https://noona.is/bjarkarhlid

You can contact Bjarmahlíð in Akureyri by phone at 551 2520, which is open from 10 am to 14 pm every weekday. You can also contact us via email at bjarmahlid@bjarmahlid.is or book an interview online: https://bjarmahlid.is/opnunartimi/

Is the shelter in Reykjavík planning to improve accessibility?

  • Yes, but unfortunately, an engineering firm's assessment shows that it is almost impossible to change the premises of the Women's Shelter in Reykjavík because the building is so old.
  • It has therefore been decided by the board of the Women's Shelter to build the first Women's Shelter in Iceland that meets modern standards for universal design and accessibility, with the support of the government in the special investment campaign due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The building has been designed and the City of Reykjavík has allocated us a plot of land, but now we are working hard to complete the fundraising for the new shelter.

Residential bridge of the Women's Shelter in Reykjavik

  • The Shelter Bridge is for women and children who are fleeing violence and have stayed in the Women's Shelter. When people are no longer in danger, they still need housing and support.
  • The building has 18 rental apartments and all apartments are designed to universal standards.
  • Two additional apartments are specially designed for women who use wheelchairs, walkers and/or other assistive devices. These apartments are used as emergency shelters for women who are unable to use the current shelter facilities.
  • The residential bridge welcomed its first tenants in October 2021.

How is the access to the Women's Shelter in Reykjavík?

  • There are 3 steps to the entrance to the Women's Shelter on the ground floor.
  • On the ground floor there are bedrooms and a toilet. There are no cooking facilities or shower facilities.
  • On the upper floor of the house there are bedrooms. There is a living room, kitchen, toilet and shower facilities. There is one hospital bed.
  • There are 7 steps to the entrance of the Women's Shelter on the upper floor.

How is the access to the Women's Shelter in Akureyri?

  • 1 staircase to the entrance, there is a hall and stairs to the second floor of the building
  • On the upper floor there are bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a toilet and shower facilities.
  • There are 14 steps to the second floor.

Below are pictures of 1) The Women's Shelter in Reykjavík, 2) Bjarkarhlíð on Bústaðarvegur, 3) The Women's Shelter in Akureyri and 4) Bjarmahlíð on Aðalstræti in Akureyri.

1) Here are pictures of accessibility at the Women's Shelter in Reykjavík.

2) Accessibility to Bjarkarhlíð on Bústaðarvegur. There is good access for people who use wheelchairs, walkers and/or other assistive devices. There is a paved path from the parking lot that leads to a wooden platform. The wooden platform is right up against the house, there is a large door and a sloping threshold into the house. There is good access to the toilet, living room and kitchen in Bjarkarhlíð.

3) Pictures from the Women's Shelter in Akureyri. There is one step to the front door and 14 steps to the upper floor of the building. All the rooms, along with the kitchen and bathroom, are on the upper floor.

4) Pictures from Bjarmahlíð Aðalstræti 14, Akureyri. 

Photos from the facilities at the Akureyri Family Services Department, Glerárgata 26 – there is access for people with mobility impairments and you can come in for an interview with counselor Bjarmahlíður.