almshouse

almshouse, in the United States, a locally administered public institution that provided housing and health care to people who were of limited financial means and were otherwise disadvantaged. Almshouses radically declined in number in the United States during the mid-20th century, being replaced by other forms of social services, and they have, in name, all but disappeared today. Dating to the 17th century, the almshouse was often used as a dumping ground for a wide...