TINNA Aid receives 25 million króna grant
Ragnar Þór Ingólfsson, minister of social affairs and housing, and Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir have signed a 25 million króna agreement for TINNA Aid. The program specifically helps single parents who are out of the workforce and have faced ongoing social challenges. This grant continues the ministry's support for developing the program at Reykjavík City, with special emphasis on serving people who receive disability or rehabilitation benefits. The goal is to help them engage more in the community and encourage them to rejoin the workforce. In 2025, TINNA Aid served 65 participants with a total of 116 children.
Empowering parents in their role
TINNA Aid aims to empower parents in raising their children while improving the family's quality of life. The program focuses on self-empowerment, building social skills, and increasing participation in the community, including the job market.
"TINNA Aid provides essential services for a specific group of parents and their children, many of whom have nowhere else to turn, and it is invaluable to be able to support this vital project. There is much to gain if we can break the cycle of poverty and improve the chances that children of parents participating in TINNA Aid will have better futures," says Ragnar Þór Ingólfsson, minister of social affairs and housing.
"TINNA Aid is a program that can transform people's lives. We empower and support individuals and families who are struggling. This has a tremendously positive effect on their opportunities—both for adults and especially for their children—to improve their quality of life and become active community members," says Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir.
"TINNA Aid has delivered strong results. A service survey from last December found high levels of satisfaction: 92% of participants trust the staff and are satisfied with the counseling, while 88% report having a positive experience. Furthermore, 87% found staff support and access to be very helpful, 84% were satisfied with available courses and education, and 79% were pleased with child support services,"says Þuríður Sigurðardóttir, project manager for TINNA Aid.
Þuríður adds that survey participants also expressed gratitude for the services, noting the program had greatly benefited them and their children.
Group activities, education, and programs for children
Reykjavík City has operated TINNA Aid for years with support from the ministry. The program is based on individual plans and includes group activities and education. The program also offers activities for children during school breaks, as well as special summer programs. One-on-one meetings and other services are also available as needed.
TINNA Aid and EAPN, an organization of people experiencing poverty, have partnered in recent years. This collaboration involves TINNA participants working as volunteers with EAPN to build job skills and break social isolation. Free summer activities have also been offered to parents and children during school breaks.
TINNA Aid is part of Reykjavík City's Virknihús Engagement Center.