Poorhouse

People queuing at S. Marylebone workhouse circa 1900 Wellcome L0027183

Frederick County Poor Farm 4

Woman's Hall Poor House

Male Pauper Barracks Poor House

Die Gartenlaube (1854) b 457 2

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Concrete Sewer Blocks made at the Halifax Poor Asylum (City Home), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1899

Poorhouse or almshouse was a public institution where the poor, homeless, and sometimes mentally ill people of a community were housed. The use of poorhouses was a common practice in the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in Europe and North America. These institutions were part of a larger poor law system, which aimed to provide relief for the poor while also controlling their movement and behavior.

History

The concept of the poorhouse is rooted in the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601, which established the legal responsibility of a parish to care for its poor. This law was later expanded and modified by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 in England, which aimed to centralize and reduce the cost of care for the poor. Poorhouses were also established in the United States, with each state adopting its own approach to the care of the impoverished.

Conditions

Conditions in poorhouses varied widely, but they were often harsh and punitive. Inmates, as they were sometimes called, were required to work, often in menial and physically demanding jobs, as a form of welfare. The quality of care and living conditions in these institutions was generally poor, with overcrowding, inadequate food, and minimal medical care being common issues.

Decline

The use of poorhouses began to decline in the early 20th century with the introduction of more modern social welfare programs, such as social security and unemployment insurance. The Great Depression and the subsequent New Deal programs in the United States further accelerated this decline, as did the establishment of the welfare state in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe.

Legacy

Today, the concept of the poorhouse is largely a historical one, with the term sometimes used metaphorically to describe the plight of the poor in society. However, the legacy of the poorhouse system can still be seen in modern debates about poverty, social services, and the role of government in providing for the needy.

See Also

• Workhouse
• Social Security
• Welfare state
• Homelessness