Meet the Cohort | ChaSE

ChaSE is a collaborative team working to reduce evictions. They won the award in the Housing Stabilization Hackathon for “Dignity for the Lived Experience”. Since housing loss is a social determinate of health, impacting Black women with children at twice the rate of any other demographic, we see this work well aligned with health and wellness equity. On behalf of ChaSE, here is Candace Gasper.

Flywheel: Describe your business in 2 sentences or less.

Candace: We're forecasting and preventing evictions by leveraging predictive analytics to ensure housing stability, while simultaneously advancing data collection to overcome information access barriers. Our dual focus aims to not only empower the community at every level but also to create a proactive ecosystem that encourages collaboration with government and social services, all dedicated to enhancing the well-being of our community.

Flywheel: What inspired you to start your venture?

Candace: As we learned in the hackathon, the affordable housing issue in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky is massive. It’s clear to me now, and I’m on a mission to make it clear to the world: everyone deserves a safe, stable space to escape to.

Flywheel: If you are wildly successful, how will our community be a better place?

Candace: Our goal is to create an equitable housing landscape for ALL Northern Kentucky residents. It’s that simple :)

Flywheel: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up and why?

Candace: I didn’t dream of having a job let alone being an entrepreneur but I like solving problems and helping people. Mostly when I dreamt of my future as a child I imagined myself on the beach and eating waterside lunches way more often than I am now.

Flywheel: What’s a good piece of advice you got from a former boss or mentor?

Candace: “Why not?” is what my former boss, Jason Spooner, said to me when he found out I didn’t really have a Plan B. The startup we were at was closing down, and I was kind of at a loss. He just threw it out there, “Why don’t you start your own agency?” And I was like, “Wait, I can do that?” And he’s like, “Yeah, why not?” And that’s pretty much been my life motto ever since. Cause… why not?

Flywheel: What’s a fun fact about you that would make people smile?

Candace:: I run an Instagram account for my pug. I know that’s kind of played out but I’ve been trying to figure out a way to mention my pug here. I was getting nervous I wouldn’t be able to tell you about Mr. Lee Alexander McQueen, my precious pug who I take almost everywhere. You can find us around town sipping, shopping, and snacking on his favorite food salmon! 

Flywheel: What’s a household chore you enjoy doing and why?

Candace:: Folding clothes. After 6 years at Abercrombie I’ve found the act to be a meditation. Very cathartic and I’m really good at it! I don’t match socks though, sorry.

Flywheel: Who inspires you?

Candace:: Faith Popcorn because she isn’t afraid to tell her clients how it is, I admire her boldness and her ability to see the future. My mom because she just plowed through the corporate ladder despite many challenges as a working mom. And of course, my father who raised me and made me into the person I am today--for better or worse, ha.  

Flywheel: What is your super power? 

Candace: Being on time.