Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.01.2018, Síða 50

The Voices Unheard
Locals living in trailers and vans at an urban campsite speak up
Words: Jessica Peng Photos: Art Bicnick
It was a normal Friday night in
Reykjavík in December. The tem-
perature had dropped to -8°C.
While most people slept through
the night in their homes, warmed
up by heaters, others woke up shiv-
ering.
Due to difficulties with find-
ing housing, some locals have
been staying in trailers and vans
parked at the Reykjavík Campsite in
Laugardalur. The electricity at the
campsite went out in the middle
of the night, and they struggled to
keep themselves warm.
It has become increasingly dif-
ficult for renters to find afford-
able rooms and apartments in
Reykjavík. The booming tourism
industry of recent years has led to
a marked upsurge in hotels and
Airbnb rentals, indirectly resulting
in many residents being unable to
find apartments. We went to the
campsite and spoke to locals about
their housing situations.
Smári, 28 years old
Originally from Hafnarfjörður,
Smári lives with his cousin and a
friend in a trailer. Despite his cur-
rent living situation, Smári has a
heart-warming smile and is great
to talk to. He moved to the camp-
site two months ago, after many at-
tempts to find housing in the city.
“You kind of lose hope on this,”
he says. “I may get an interview,
but after the interview I never hear
back.” Oftentimes landlords re-
ceive more requests than they can
answer, making it more difficult
for renters.
Smári has also been on the wait-
ing list for social housing for six
years. These houses are owned by
the government, and the rent is
more affordable. When asked about
the wait time for such housing, he
says, “They said mostly five to sev-
en years.” The queue is progressing
slowly, and he still doesn’t know
when exactly he will be able to se-
cure a place to live.
Currently Smári is paying 45,000
ISK (around €358) per month to
park his trailer at the campsite.
“You get Internet, electricity and
you can use the showers,” he says.
Helgi, 58 years old
Helgi was watching a video on his
laptop when we knocked on the
door of his camper. “Come on in,”
he said. He welcomed us in and
invited us to sit down. Helgi is
someone whom you know has a
story to tell.
Originally from Kópavogur, he
parked his camper at the Laugarda-
lur campsite last month. “I lost my
place on December 12th in 2016,” he
says. “They were going to change
the apartment I had into a hotel.”
During the cold month of holidays,
Helgi was forced to move into his
20-year-old Mercedes Benz, which
he sold for scrap in the end.
Before buying the camper where
he currently resides, Helgi went to
the Ministry of Welfare for help.
“Just before Christmas, I came in
and said, ‘I don’t have any money
for food’,” he recalls. “They said, ‘Ah
you know, we’ve got a board meet-
ing in a week. Come then and we’ll
see what we can do.’”
Helgi is legally considered 70%
disabled for work. He went to the
Ministry again for help last sum-
mer because his eyesight was get-
ting worse. “They said, ‘No, we
won’t help you because you don’t
have the right disability’,” he says.
Angry and disappointed, Helgi told
the person working at the Ministry,
“I will never ever step into this es-
tablishment again.” Now he has to
wear two pairs of glasses to be able
to see clearly.
Despite some unpleasant expe-
riences with the Ministry of Wel-
fare, Helgi receives a monthly ben-
efit of 180,000 ISK (around €1,432).
“I have to pay the insurance for the
car and the fuel,” he said. “I also
smoke cigarettes. 180,000 ISK isn’t
very much.”
Helgi is not actively looking for
housing, because it costs too much
for him. In contrast, he quite enjoys
living in the camper, where he has a
gas stove for cooking. “Here no one
bothers me, and I can see the sun,”
he asserts.
Svanur, 58 years old
We heard some whistling out-
side while talking to Helgi, and it
turned out that his friend Svanur
50 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01 — 2018
Pallets used to keep a tent off the frozen ground
The entrance to the camp site
Discarded matresses are a common sight
Caravans are also used as homes
A windscreen as a living room window