Almshouses are houses in Britain which were built and run by charities to provide accommodation for poor or old people who could not afford to pay rent.
almshouse in British English
(ˈɑːmzˌhaʊs)
noun
1. British history
a privately supported house offering accommodation to elderly or needy people
2. mainly British another name for poorhouse
almshouse in American English
(ˈɑːmzˌhaus)
nounWord forms: plural -houses (-ˌhauzɪz)chiefly Brit
1.
a house endowed by private charity for the accommodation and support of elderly or disabled people
2. (formerly)
a poorhouse
Word origin
[1350–1400; ME almes hous. See alms, house]
Examples of 'almshouse' in a sentence
almshouse
Or if we are to go to the almshouse, we go looking like decent people.
Gregory Maguire CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER (1999)