The city of DeKalb is taking steps to open doors and help unfortunate citizens.

The city recently purchased property on the 200 block of South First Street which could eventually become transitional housing, said 6th Ward Alderman Jamie Pennington.

The boarded-up building on the lot purchased by the city is condemned and is scheduled to be demolished next month, Pennington said.

Bill Nicklas, Building and Community Services director, said the city used its general funds to pay the $27,000 for the lot. In about two to four weeks, the city will invite interested parties to submit proposals for the property, he said.

Pennington said a new building could be up by next fall. One idea in the city council is to use the building as transitional housing in conjunction with the Ben Gordon Community Mental Health Center, 12 Health Services Drive.

Transitional housing “is one possibility” for the property, said DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow. “Or since it is within the TIF (tax increment financing) district, it could be sold to a business for a retail tax base.”

The council will not make a final decision about the use of the property for another month, Pennington said. “My personal opinion is that we have the votes” to use the site for transient housing, he said.

Sparrow said, “We certainly are interested in transitional housing. If we don’t do it there, we’ll do it somewhere else.”

Pennington said if the site is used as transitional housing, participants must take part in a counseling program run by the mental health center. The counseling would involve strategies to find a job, he said.

The housing would be available to families for two to three months at a time, he said. He said he did not know if a fee would be assessed to the program and that would be something the council would have to determine.

Pennington said this is “officially the only thing the city is looking at now” to help the homeless and needy.