Eighty-seven new affordable housing units are in the works, but it’s not nearly enough to shelter the number of St. Catharines residents on the verge of being evicted, local officials say.

New subsidized apartments are being built in four areas of the city, including nine supportive-living units on Ontario Street for people with mental illnesses.

But Niagara’s waiting list for nonprofit housing sits at 4,275 households, or about 7,900 people, said Lora Beckwith, general manager of Niagara Regional Housing. About one-third of those are seniors.

“Many of them are probably on the verge of eviction,” Beckwith said. “In these cases, you get decisions at the end of the month like, ‘Do I pay the rent or feed my kids?’ ”

Twenty-three new subsidized housing units — where tenants pay rent equal to 30 per cent of their income — are being built at 290 Oakdale Ave. Another 21 are in the works at 21 King St., located over commercial space. Thirty-four units are being built at 54 Oakdale.

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