The Middlesex County Youth Shelter has been serving troubled adolescents and their families from Middlesex County for 25 years. Originally operated as a JINS shelter in New Brunswick, the facility moved to its present location on Route 130 in North Brunswick in 1985. It was expanded to a 24-bed Juvenile/Family Crisis Shelter at that time. The Shelter is operated by the Office of Adult Corrections & Youth Services under the supervision of Warden Cranston and overseen by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners. The Shelter also maintains contracts with Monmouth and Ocean Counties to provide them with an alternative to juvenile detention.

The Shelter is direct supervision, a non-secure facility that houses male and female youths through referrals from the Family Court, the Family Crisis Intervention Unit, and the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services. The role of the Shelter is to provide a safe, structured environment that allows the child to prepare for and accept placement plans including family reunification, group home placement, residential and foster care placement or substance abuse treatment.