The emergency solutions grant (ESG) authorizes the department of housing and urban development (HUD) to make grants to states, units of general-purpose local government, and territories for the…

The Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development awarded $148,451 to the County of Middlesex Housing and Community Development Division on February 6, 2026, under the Emergency Solutions Grant Program (CFDA 14.231), a formula grant supporting rapid rehousing of homeless individuals and families and homelessness prevention.

The County of Middlesex, headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, will deploy ESG funds across five program components: street outreach, emergency shelter operations, homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing assistance, and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) support. The award also covers eligible administrative activities. ESG funds may be used to rehabilitate or convert buildings into emergency shelter, pay operating expenses for emergency shelters, and provide essential services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or housing crises.

Performance runs through February 5, 2028, with place of performance in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Middlesex County operates as a formula-grant recipient and intermediary for HUD community development programs, passing substantial ESG and other federal funds through to state agencies, local departments, nonprofit housing developers, and community partners implementing homelessness prevention and housing stability services at the county level. The County of Middlesex maintains no federal contracts and functions exclusively as a federal grant recipient.

Activities

ESG funds may be used for five program components: street outreach, emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, rapid RE-housing assistance, and homeless management information system (hmis). Funds can also be used for administrative activities. The five program components and the eligible activities that may be funded under each are set forth in 24 code of federal regulations (CFR) 576.101 through 576.107.

Expected outcomes

With ESG program funding, communities can engage homeless individuals and families living on the street, improve the number and quality of emergency shelters for homeless individuals/families, support the operation of emergency shelters, provide essential services to shelter residents, rapidly work to rehouse homeless individuals and families and prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless.

Intended beneficiaries

Eligible recipients of the ESG funds generally consist of metropolitan cities, urban counties, territories, and states, as defined in 24 CFR 576.2. The minimum eligibility criteria for ESG beneficiaries are as follows: for essential services related to street outreach, beneficiaries must meet the criteria under paragraph (1) (i) of the "homeless" definition under 576.2. For emergency shelter, beneficiaries must meet the "homeless" definition in 24 CFR 576.2. For essential services related to emergency shelter, beneficiaries must be "homeless" and staying in an emergency shelter (which could include a day shelter). For homelessness prevention assistance, beneficiaries must meet the requirements described in 24 CFR 576.103PAR. For rapid RE-housing assistance, beneficiaries must meet requirements described in 24 CFR 576.104. Further eligibility criteria may be established at the local level in accordance with 24 CFR 576.400(e).

Subrecipient activities

The subrecipient activities are unknown at the time of award.