Hard up saint houses family (5)

I believe the answer is:

skint

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'hard up' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'saint houses family' is the wordplay.
'saint' becomes 'st' (abbreviation).
'houses' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'family' becomes 'kin' (synonyms).
'st' placed around 'kin' is 'SKINT'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for skint that I've seen before include "Penniless (slang)" , "Having little money" , "Hard up (slang)" , "Stony broke" , "Stony-broke" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.