The earliest forms of assistance in the US were tied to the "worthiness" of the recipient. For example, the elderly, blind, orphans, and widows were likely to be considered "worthy" of assistance...

AMERICAN WELFARE
How do the themes of "deserving" and "undeserving" populations permeate the recent history of American Welfare?
There are many instances where American deserving and undeserving populations were a part of public welfare in the USA. They were divided into two groups:
1. The Deserving were the old age people, children, disabled who were allowed to take shelter in poorhouses or what is known as almshouses.
2. The Undeserving were the capable people who lost their jobs, pregnant woman who became mother before marriage and the lazy people who didn’t wanted to work. These people were also allowed to take shelter in the outdoor relief camps and had to look after the deserving people as most of them were sick, homeless, disabled and the children.
But during the middle of nineteenth century the condition of these almshouses were extremely poor and started to deteriorate. Many people died, there were illicit births, no disciplines and management.
In the twentieth century, the New York commission, headed by the governor supervising the poor state and the unhealthy conditions of...