Known as poorhouses or workhouses, these shelters became the focus for new changes in the Poor Laws in the early 1800s.
Lawmakers in England felt that because the country's system of relief, which had been in place for over two centuries, had not remedied the poverty situation in England, the system needed to be changed. In 1834 a New Poor Law went into effect. The main thrust of the Poor Law Amendment Act, or so-called New Poor Law, was that every local system of relief throughout England would operate under a uniform set of regulations. This detail alone caused innumerable problems, including a political one-local authorities felt that their powers were being subordinated and their judgment questioned. Perhaps the greatest problem with the New Poor Law was that it focused more on the systems and institutions for the poor rather than the poor themselves.
The New Poor Law guaranteed food and shelter to anyone who had no money. This was a drastic change from the old Poor Laws, which had helped supplement the meager incomes of outdoor workers (for example, construction workers or miners) who needed just a little help to get by.
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