Mid-Columbia Community Action announced it has acquired the Oregon Motor Motel in The Dalles and will convert it into 100 new beds of transitional housing and shelter.  Community Action is using part of a $4.27 million grant from the state’s Project Turnkey program to acquire the property.  Community Action is renaming the property “The Annex” to reflect connection with its Navigation Center project that will break ground next month.  Nearly $1.5 million in renovations for the former motor lodge will begin immediately, with Community Action hoping to open the shelter by the middle of this year.  The site will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with two on-site resident managers and overnight security, with a number of agencies providing on-site services to those who stay there.  Community Action Executive Director Kenny LaPoint believes “The Annex” will reduce houselessness in the region by 50%.