provided to The Santiva Chronicle
As a child, Jenna Higginbotham dreamed of living and raising a family on Sanibel Island. Community Housing & Resources helped make that dream real—and that was only the beginning.
“CHR gave us more than just a place to live,” Jenna said. “You’re part of something bigger than the Sanibel community. There’s a CHR family, too. Getting to raise our family in this small town that I grew up loving—that’s something that still doesn’t feel real at times.”
Jenna vacationed on Sanibel throughout her youth, and the island remained a constant in her life. When her parents eventually relocated there, Jenna and her husband, Timothy, followed a few years later. However, just one month after their move, Hurricane Ian struck.
“We pretty much lost everything,” she said. “We were living with my parents while looking for a place to rent, so all our belongings were on the lower level.”
The years following the hurricane were challenging; Jenna and Timothy moved nine times while Timothy helped homeowners with repairs and also worked with Jenna’s father at ASI Contractors.
Their situation grew even more uncertain when Hurricane Milton flooded their ground-level rental in 2024—the same year their first child was born—forcing them to seek a safer, more stable option.
Reflecting on their move into their new home, Jenna recalled, “That was the first time I remember thinking, wow, I can unpack everything and put pictures on the wall.”
The shift was transformational: “We could breathe in a real home. We didn’t have to plan for the next hurricane because it’s elevated and has space for our family to grow.”
That newfound stability soon became even more meaningful, as Baby Higginbotham No. 2 arrives later this year.
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