Claire lives in North Yorkshire with her son Jacob.
She works 16 hours a week and is completing an open university degree. She receives housing benefit and tax credits and challenges common misconceptions about people on benefits.
Claire features on one of two new videos being launched today as part of The Press’s anti-poverty work.
She says on the film: “Without the support, I have no idea how I would actually survive without begging family and friends for money to pay things like the rent.
"I think sometimes some people who haven’t met somebody in my situation possibly have this idea about what kind of person receives benefits.
"They have this notion that they are scroungers or something like that and it’s not true and not very nice, because anybody can find themselves in hard times.
"There should be no shame in asking for help where needed."
She says she is aware that there can be a negative image of being a single parent on benefits, but says she is determined to put herself on a better footing for life, through her degree.
Kia Stone’s tragic story prompted the launch of our Stamp Out Poverty campaign.
Her daughter Telan died last October in the family’s one-bedroom council flat in Chapelfields, aged 11 months.
An inquest concluded Telan had succumbed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), but Kia remains in the dark about what caused it.
The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths said overcrowding and poor, damp, mouldy housing could contribute to the sudden deaths of babies.
City of York Council has said the flat was allocated to Ms Stone and one child and it offered advice on reducing condensation. Kia and her son, Taran, have since been given a new home in Clifton and Kia is raising money for the Lullaby Trust, which works to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and supports bereaved families.
Her next event is a fundraiser at the Tramways Club, in Mill Street, York, from 7pm to 11pm on August 16, and she particularly thanks Dawn Todd for her support.
Don is in his mid-70s. He spent 22 years in the RAF and also ran his own business, before retiring about ten years ago.
He is a keen cyclist, enjoys nature work and lives in Stamford Bridge, east of York.
His income is from three sources, his services pension, his state pension and housing benefit, which he says the Government very kindly awarded him.
Life, he says, would be much harder without that support.
Don appears in a film on The Press website today and urges people not to shy away from seeking the support to which they are entitled.
"What I will say to anyone considering benefit is, find out whether or not you are entitled to it.
"You will not regret it. You have absolutely nothing to lose. Do it."
John, 59, grew up in York and lived much of his life in the city, but he has just returned after 20 years in London.
Things went pear-shaped in the capital, he says. He ended up getting a criminal record and he says he was lucky not to go to prison. He has a daughter in York but has been struggling to find work and is living on less than £50 a week.
Breakfast at Carecent in St Saviourgate, which provides a daily meal for vulnerable and homeless people, is a massive help, he says.
"I come in, have breakfast, read the paper and then go. They have helped me out a lot.
"I had a job interview and they got me a shirt and a volunteer brought in a pair of her husband’s shoes for me to use.
"They could not be more helpful. They are fantastic. I get £71 a week on JobSeeker’s Allowance. Out of that comes £13 a week top-up rent.
"I also have a court fine of £5 a week and I have rent arrears from a few years ago with City of York Council, so I am paying them £3.50 a week – otherwise, I could not go back on the housing waiting list.
"By the time I have got some food and toiletries, there is not a great deal left. I like a drink, like the next bloke, but I have not been out for weeks.
"I have been in the building trade for the past 25 to 30 years, but the position I had in London was general maintenance for a company. But they were making cuts and I was last in so first out.
"They got rid of me last year and I was struggling. I was desperate for cash and stole some money. I was in south London and my brother was in north London and he had been diagnosed with cancer.
"I was by myself and travelling backwards and forwards. He passed away and that was all part and parcel of me ending up committing the crime I did."