suffering because a lot of bad things are happening to you.
For a while they were homeless, living in a shelter for families down on their luck.
Usage notes: usually said about someone who has no work or money
down on (one's) luck
Experiencing a period of misfortune. Ryan is really down on his luck these days—he just lost his job, and then he got evicted from his apartment.
down on your luck
Someone who is down on their luck is suffering a period of bad luck. At that time he was down on his luck — his wife had left him and his job was giving him terrible back pain.As a forty year old flight attendant down on her luck, she has a face that looks tired of life.