After an investigation into the current Poor Law, a new Poor Law was put into place in 1834. The new law looked to reduce the cost of looking after the poor and establish a nationalized system of looking after the poor. Able-bodied people and their families were not to receive any aid. Also, every parish (church congregation) had to build a workhouse for the poor people to go and live in. Only people living in workhouses were allowed to receive aid. The workhouses had specifically harsh conditions to avert people looking to live in them.