Definitions for "Almshouse"
A house appropriated for the use of the poor; a poorhouse.
Lodgings for the poor supported by private rather than public charity. Publicly funded lodgings were called poorhouses or workhouses.
(almsĀ·house) NOUN: A home for the poor that was financed and managed by private charity or local government. The term went out of fashion during the Progressive Era of the early twentieth century. Almshouses were replaced by settlement houses and other institutions. Today, many of the functions of an almshouse are provided by homeless shelters.