Maybe poverty’s rise in the East End (3)
I believe the answer is:
ill
'maybe poverty's' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'rise in the east end' is the wordplay.
'rise' becomes 'hill' (I've seen this in another clue).
'in the east end' means to remove the first letter (drop a letter, as a cockney might).
'hill' with its first letter taken away is 'ILL'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ill that I've seen before include "In a bad way" , "Misfortune" , "weak" , "Imperfectly; unwell" , "Green round the gills" .)