What is Housing Insecurity and Homelessness?
Housing insecurity refers to a broader set of challenges that could include the inability to pay rent or utilities, need to move frequently, or residing in a place where personal safety or health is compromised.
Homelessness means that a student does not have a stable, reliable, or permanent place to live, often residing in a shelter, automobile, motel, a public facility, or an abandoned building or outside.
We offer housing support by connecting students to resources that provide suitable housing or shelter in the New Brunswick/Piscataway area. We are assisting students who are experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness on a case-by-case basis. Please email basicneeds@echo.rutgers.edu for resources and support.
Housing Resources
- Housing Options
On-Campus Housing creates an inclusive, engaging, and supportive communities where residents thrive personally and academically. We achieve this through intentional engagement opportunities, support initiatives, and administrative processes.
Off-Campus Housing, Rutgers University has partnered with Places4Students.com, a company that specializes in providing Off-Campus Housing solutions for post-secondary students, faculty, staff and other community members. This service is FREE for anyone to use as an effective method of finding a place to live off-campus or finding a roommate. Registration is not required to search the listings.
New Jersey Guide to Affordable Housing lists income-restricted affordable housing units for rent and for sale in New Jersey.
- Online Resources
NJ 211 also serves as the State Homeless Hotline and New Jersey’s Utility Assistance Hotline. Most recently, they were asked to support the NJ Department of Health by serving as the number to call when looking for general information about state directives in regards to COVID-19.
NJ 211 provides live assistance 24 hours a day, every day of the year. There services are free, confidential and multilingual. There are several ways to reach them:
By phone (simply dial 2-1-1) Via text (send your zip code to 898-211) By Email (info@nj211.org) Chat with us online.
- Local Shelters
Shelters and Emergency Housing
Shelter Listings is a website dedicated to serving the homeless and low-income by providing a list of shelters and low-cost housing services in New Brunswick, NJ and Middlesex County area.
Catholic Charities Ozanam Family Shelter
89 Truman Drive, Edison, NJ 08827
(908) 985-0327Salvation Army
433 State Street
P.O. Box 613, Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
(732) 826-7040Women Aware, Inc.
P.O. Box 312, New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(908) 937-9525- State of New Jersey Resources
The Housing Assistance office oversees programs that prevent homelessness and help people move out of temporary shelters and into stable, permanent housing. The office administers housing assistance programs such as the Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP), the Housing Choice Voucher Section 8 Program (Section 8) and the State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP). Phone: (609) 292-4080
The Office of Eviction Prevention oversees programs and services in eviction prevention and diversion, including rental assistance programs, social services support, and expanding access to counsel to low-income tenants facing or threatened with eviction. The Office also handles general inquiries about landlord-tenant rights and responsibilities and publishes the bi-annual Truth in Renting Guide. The Office works closely with non-profit community-based organizations in disseminating information about resources and providing direct outreach to at-risk tenants. Phone: (609) 376-0810 | Email
The Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) is a federally funded program that provides housing subsidies to New Jersey residents, so that they can obtain decent, safe, and sanitary housing. Persons applying to the waiting list must be eighteen (18) years of age or older to apply or be an emancipated minor and meet all applicable federal income and eligibility requirements.
The Housing Production office assists in the development of affordable housing units for income-eligible families. Phone: (609) 777-4161
The Office of Homelessness Prevention (OHP) coordinates efforts to prevent homelessness among State and local agencies and private organizations that provide services to persons who are homeless or at risk for homelessness.
What is Transportation Insecurity?
Transportation Insecurity is a condition in which one is unable to regularly move from place to place in a safe and timely manner because one lacks the material, economic or social resources necessary for transportation.
Transportation Resources
Student Transit Discounts - Save 25% on an NJ TRANSIT monthly rail, bus, or light rail pass for the commute to class. Full-time college students attending participating University Partnership colleges or universities register through their college website.
NJ Reduced Fair Program – Special rates are available for residents 62 years of age or older and people with disabilities. Personal assistants ride for free when proper identification is presented by the person with a disability. Even qualifying out-of-state residents can ride on NJ TRANSIT buses and trains at the reduced rate. Passengers with disabilities and those who are 65 and older may simply show their valid NJ Transit Reduced Fare ID or Medicare Card to the vehicle operator and present the appropriate fare. Those between the ages of 62-64 may be asked to present a valid ID including date of birth to get the reduced fare. For more information: (973) 491-7112
MCAT Shuttle for Middlesex County - This shuttle route picks up from the College Avenue area of Somerset St. and George St. and travels around the North Brunswick local area, including Brunswick Shopping Center, which includes a Lidl Grocery Store and Dollar Tree store. These are on a limited schedule, but is a great option at a low cost of $1 donation suggestion for the general public. Reservations are not needed.
RIDE on Demand - RIDE On Demand is a convenient and affordable public transit service that allows you to book rides through the Middlesex County RIDE On Demand app, available at the App Store or Google Play. Within minutes, you can be picked up anywhere in New Brunswick and dropped off at any destination within New Brunswick for $3 per rider. This is a ride sharing service where one or more passengers headed in the same direction, may ride with you. Whether you live, work, study, or visit New Brunswick, you can book a ride!
RIDE On Demand Services are available: Monday through Friday from 6 am to 10 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 6 pm.
Njfindaride.org
NJ Find A Ride is an online directory of public and accessible transportation options for those who do not own a car. The website offers a place to look at how to get from one location to another in a local community through a searchable database. The search results will match specific transportation needs that you describe and state who is eligible, how much it costs and how to arrange for a ride.
LogistiCare
LogistiCare provides non-emergency medical transportation to NJ Family Care/Medicaid clients living anywhere in the state. Though different counties have varied regulations LogistiCare will provide some level of transportation to appointments. For more information about this resource or to make an appointment for a ride, call 1-866-527-9933.
Middlesex County Service Locator
This site helps to connect community members with social services. The site offers a free and easy search-by-zip code tool, a comprehensive database of free and low-cost services, and the opportunity for local organizations to strengthen referral partnerships through the platform’s free referral tools.
