poorhouse

Poorhouses were public institutions used from the seventeenth through the early twentieth centuries to provide relief for people unable to support themselves, including the elderly, the sick, people with disabilities, widows, and others. In North America—particularly in the United States and Canada—they were usually operated by local governments and often took the form of “poor farms,” where residents who were able to work were expected to contribute labor. thumb|Onondaga County Poorhouse, New York Poorhouses developed from earlier systems of poor relief influenced by the English Poor Laws and by social attitudes that distinguished between the “deserving” and “undeserving” poor. Known by various names—including almshouses, poor farms, houses of industry, and county homes—these institutions varied widely in organization and purpose. Unlike the British workhouse system, however, North American poorhouses were typically locally administered and served primarily as residential institutions for a wide range of dependent populations.

During the nineteenth century poorhouses became the principal institutions of public welfare in much of North America. Over time their role changed as reformers created specialized institutions for groups such as children, the mentally ill, and the disabled. The importance of poorhouses declined during the twentieth century as expanding welfare programs, pensions, and social assistance systems gradually replaced local institutional relief.