Outdoor relief

This article is about Britain's welfare provision after the 1601 Poor Law. For other welfare programmes, see social security.

After the passing of the Elizabethan Poor Law (1601), outdoor relief was the kind of poor relief where assistance was in the form of money, food, clothing or goods, given to alleviate poverty without the requirement that the recipient enter an institution. In contrast, recipients of indoor relief were required to enter a workhouse or poorhouse. Outdoor relief was also a feature of the Scottish and Irish Poor Law systems.