Meaning
Someone scraping and scratching to get by — a person just barely surviving on little, hustling for every dollar. It can be sympathetic (a hard-up striver) or mildly dismissive (a broke person with nothing). To 'scratch a living' is to eke one out by any means.
Examples
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Him a scratcha, a try mek a likkle money any way him can.
He's a scraper, trying to make a little money any way he can.
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Times hard, everybody a scratch fi survive.
Times are hard, everyone's scraping to survive.
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She nuh badda wid no broke scratcha.
She won't bother with a broke, hard-up man.
Origin
From 'scratch' (to scrape by) plus '-a'; one who scratches out a living.
How it’s used
A hard-up striver scraping by; sympathetic or dismissive by tone. Compare 'hustle', 'grinda', 'bruk-pocket'.