For Patty McIver, saying Hurricane Ian left people shell-shocked is no overstatement. That includes herself and her closest family.
Patty, her parents, and her brother each owned houses in the same neighborhood in Fort Myers, near the Causeway, and Hurricane Ian destroyed all three.
“It’s tough, seeing what it did to them,” she said of her family.
While sorting out the next steps for herself and her family, Patty, a Police Aide with the City of Sanibel, had to move six times over the next 14 months. At one point, she lived in a camper where her home once stood.
Two things kept Patty going: her job as a Police Aide with the City of Sanibel and the chance to find affordable housing through Community Housing & Resources (CHR).
“When the opportunity came up for housing through CHR, I got excited,” said Patty. “I can’t praise the program enough. (CHR) has been the perfect solution for me.”
Living in Sanibel has cut Patty’s commute to a few minutes of walking or biking. It’s also given her stability to focus on rebuilding her home, helping her parents rebuild, and being there for her brother, who has ALS, as he moved into his new house in Fort Myers.
“CHR and my job got me through after losing my home. They saved me from the depression people go through after a disaster like that,” she said.
While she expects to rebuild in Fort Myers, the healing power of Sanibel – and CHR – will stay with her.
“I see myself in the future either staying or coming back,” she said. “For me, it’s paradise.”
Community Housing & Resources provides safe, quality, affordable housing for families and individuals who work in and serve our island communities. Learn more at sancapchr.org.
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