Wiktionary
three hots and a cot
n. 1 (context slang English) prison 2 (context slang English) shelter
Usage examples of "three hots and a cot".
Wetbacks congregated outside: pointing at the sun like they were telling time by it, hot for the truck to arrive--stoop labor for three hots and a cot.
This is more than just three hots and a cot here, this is a shelter with a heart.
It hit me a week or so in: You're just here for three hots and a cot.