The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 16 letter word POVERTY-STRICKEN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
O
V
E
R
T
Y
-
S
T
R
I
C
K
E
N
More clues leading to the result POVERTY-STRICKEN
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Poor" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case poor = poverty-stricken.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does POVERTY-STRICKEN mean?
POVERTY-STRICKEN adjective- Very poor.