On frigid winter afternoons that only make for colder nights, Project Hospitality Executive Director Terry Troia says it's easy to see the need for affordable housing.

Her not-for-profit is currently in the process of building a five-story mixed use development in Port Richmond that aims to offer housing to the neediest Staten Islanders.

"The answer to homelessness is affordable and supportive housing. That is the answer," said Terry Troia of Project Hospitality.

The new building will contain 47 studio apartments, 18 of which will be affordable housing, offered through a lottery, with a requirement that half the units go to residents from Staten Island's north shore.

29 others will be reserved for formerly homeless residents who have moved through Project Hospitality's programs.

Troia's group will run supportive services from the ground floor.

"Having support services and having Project Hospitality 24-hours on site provides the level of eyes and ears and support to the people who live here that is very important in housing," said Troia.

But residents in the area fear the project will bring trouble to an area already struggling.

51 percent of residents here have trouble paying for housing, and nearly 20 percent of its storefronts are vacant.

Members of civic group Port Richmond Strong are against the project.

"They are precluding any healthy development. They are making it so nobody, nobody's going to want to come and invest in this neighborhood,” said Mary Bullock of Port Richmond Strong.

Bullock also points to recent plans to build two boutique hotels that many believe will eventually become homeless shelters as more reason there are too many social services in the community.

"It's in our front yard, it's down the street, it's next door. It's over-saturated. There are no needs-assessment and there's not that many people from Port Richmond who are homeless. So it can definitely go somewhere else," said Bullock.

Project Hospitality is still working on funding for the project, which it says will not be opened for at least two years.