skid row 
noun informal, chiefly North American
1A run-down part of a town frequented by vagrants and alcoholics.Here the Boulevard was a skid row of motels, shabby apartments, sad souvenir stands, pornography stores, and pawn shops....
- Their skid row operates 24 hours; its cycles are tied to county checks and busy shelter kitchens.
- On a Washington skid row, eyeless bums peddle the newest nose candy.
1.1A desperately unfortunate or difficult situation: with no money to spend, the club are on skid row...
- Fantastic news but obviously buries the fact that her solo career had completely died and she was now on skid row as far as her career was concerned.
- Anyway, a few sex shops are left on skid row and one of them, The Exclusive Shop, has a video theatre upstairs.
- Who wants to hit rock bottom, derelict, skid row, with no friend or family or home?
Origin
1930s: alteration of skid road.