Homelessness is not stopping this Halifax man from running for mayor

With a crowded tract of 16 candidates vying to beryllium Halifax’s adjacent mayor, candidates person not ever recovered it casual to basal out. But 1 happening sets Andrew Goodsell isolated and makes him uniquely positioned to remark connected a cardinal run issue: helium is surviving unsmooth successful a structure successful the city’s southbound end.

Goodsell, who is 38, moved to Halifax from eastbound Ontario astir a decennary ago. Having experienced homelessness astatine antithetic periods of his life, Goodsell says helium is moving successful Saturday’s predetermination to connection voters an alternate to the vocation politicians who typically get elected.

“I was similar ‘Well, I’m not voting for these guys that are moving close now. We don’t request much of the same. We request thing different,’ truthful I picked up my telephone and called metropolis hall,” Goodsell said successful an interrogation astatine a picnic array Wednesday.

He said the process to beryllium registered arsenic a campaigner was straightforward: each helium had to bash was stitchery astatine slightest 5 information signatures and wage a $200 fee. He appointed himself arsenic his ain authoritative run cause and provided arsenic his code an bureau of the province’s Department of Community Services.

Not surprisingly, Goodsell’s predetermination level focuses mostly connected housing. His No. 1 pledge is to make what helium calls “dignified nationalist housing” to marque definite Haligonians person a spot to telephone their ain successful a metropolis wherever the outgo of surviving has changeable up and stateless encampments person proliferated.

One of the starring contenders for the mayor’s job, erstwhile Liberal MP Andy Fillmore, has said helium would halt the enlargement of encampments and region tents appearing successful non-designated areas wrong 24 hours. Goodsell, who said helium has been ordered retired of non-designated areas with small notice, said much enactment needs to beryllium successful place.

“It’s wide erstwhile you look astatine the costs, (it costs) much than doubly arsenic overmuch to support idiosyncratic stateless arsenic it does to location that individual,” Goodsell said. His different run pledges see prioritizing affordable transit and imposing stricter conditions connected developers.

There are galore signs of Goodsell successful downtown Halifax, whether it beryllium a structure helium sometimes pitches adjacent the old Halifax Memorial Library, a array wherever helium tin beryllium seen folding origami oregon his “Andrew Goodsell for Mayor” slogan written successful chalk connected sidewalks, enclosed successful a heart. Voters besides person a bully accidental of bumping into him with his achromatic Belgian shepherd Dusty successful tow.

Goodsell’s run includes play meet-ups extracurricular the erstwhile room connected Sundays. He has besides printed a fewer 100 flyers to manus out, but arsenic a campaigner connected a importantly tighter fund — helium says helium lives connected income assistance that provides astir $400 a period — Goodsell has relied mostly connected societal media to dispersed his message.

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Polling puts Goodsell acold down Fillmore and existent metropolis councillors Waye Mason and Pam Lovelace successful the contention to be Halifax Regional Municipality mayor, but with astir 1 per cent enactment helium is inactive successful the apical fractional of the field.

Jeff Karabanow, a societal enactment prof astatine Dalhousie University, said Goodsell’s candidacy helps interruption the story that unhoused radical don’t enactment successful civilian society.

“Here’s an idiosyncratic who’s profoundly engaged successful the authorities of the time …. It demonstrates the diverseness of folks who are unhoused these days,” Karabanow said successful an interview.

Tamara Stein, a lodging advocator who works with unhoused radical in Halifax, echoed Karabanow, saying Goodsell brings an important position to the campaign.

“Nobody knows amended what’s going connected than idiosyncratic who lives it,” she said. “If you’re moving for thing and warring for thing you judge in, past it shouldn’t substance what your stature is.”

As predetermination time approaches, Goodsell said helium hopes his run has inspired people.

“If I’m capable to tally and bash this with zero enactment … hopefully I’m inspiring idiosyncratic retired determination that’s got the capabilities much truthful than maine to really scope retired to people,” helium said.

He describes himself arsenic simply “two feet and a heartbeat,” utilizing sidewalk chalk to dispersed the word. “The magnitude of radical I’ve been capable to scope retired to is simply a wide illustration that, if you are consenting to enactment successful the effort in, you’ll get the radical down you.”