The former Door County Medical building could welcome a new family as early as next spring, as several local organizations work to address the growing need for temporary housing in the community. Reverend Matthew Knapp of the E cumenical Partnership for Housing in Door County explains how they decided to address the housing crisis The former Door County Medical Clinic building in Sturgeon Bay will be transitioning to single-family housing Stephanie Servia, the Planning and Zoning Administrator for Sturgeon Bay, says this is just the start for the Ecumenical Partnership for Housing in Door County(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)Once a medical clinic, the former medical center building will be converted into single-family housing for a family, providing housing for six to 12 months following renovations.What really got this going was when Door County Memorial Hospital offered us what used to be the Gloss Clinic," Reverend Matthew Knapp said. Reverend Matthew Knapp is part of the Ecumenical Partnership for Housing in Door County.Initially, all of this started last June when a group of folks from different churches got together and asked, What can we do to collaborate to try to address housing insecurity" Reverend Knapp said.He says that temporary housing has always been an issue in the area.Well get phone calls from people, everything from someone whos gotten out of jail and their family cant pick them up, to people whove had a health crisis," Reverend Knapp said.In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Door County Medical Center, and the Door County Community Center, the Ecumenical Partnership for Housing is fundraising for the project.The medical center will own the property, but it will be managed by Habitat for Humanity and the Ecumenical Partnership for Housing in Door County.So far, they have raised $60,000, including a $40,000 grant from the Medical Center, towards their $80,000 goal.Knapp says they hope to have all the funding by this fall, begin renovations in winter, and move a family in by next spring.Stephanie Servia is the Planning and Zoning Administrator for Sturgeon Bay. "I think, yeah, theres a lot thats going to be happening in the future," Servia said.She says this is just the start of the Ecumenical Partnership for Housings plan to address the areas housing shortage.Well, its a drop in the bucket, but it is a beginning in terms of trying to address those people who are truly homeless. We have a lot of homelessness here," Reverend Knapp said.The Ecumenical Partnership says the next step is obtaining a building permit and continuing fundraising efforts for housing. ...read more read less