A burlesque dancer claims she was told to sell her house after being given less than £250 to survive lockdown.
The 38-year-old, known as Wildvixen, said she went from earning £27,000-a-year to scraping by on just £232 in benefits over six months.
She says she has been forced to rely on friends and relatives for help with her weekly food shop after her income dried up when shows and tours were cancelled, reports Birmingham Live.
She said her world "came crashing down" but she received two payments of only £124 and £108 from the Government's self-employment income support scheme.
And she said a benefits advisor told her to consider selling her home to see her through the pandemic.
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Wildvixen, from Solihull, said: "When the virus hit, it was like my whole world came crashing down - there was very little in my life that didn't have anything to do with burlesque.
"The lockdown left very little for me, dancing is very much a part of who I am.
"When I applied for help from the self-employment grant, they estimated my income to be a lot lower than what it was.
"The first installment I had in May was for £124 and another in August was for £108.
"My estimated income for the the same span of time would have been closer to £14,000 but due to me only being freelance for two years, rather than the three years of evidence they needed, they averaged it much lower.
"I've been barely able to afford gas, electric and food. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to have friends and family around me to help me out, they've been bringing me food and helping me pay my bills, which they shouldn't have had to do.
"I own my house and rent out rooms so I thankfully I had that covered, I was just struggling with living costs for myself.
"At one point, I was advised to sell my house and live off the money I make from that but I couldn't just kick out my tenants."
But the future of her dance career still seems uncertian.
Prior to the pandemic, Wildvixen was a regular performer at Subside in Digbeth but the venue has not yet reopened.
She also had tours planned, including shows in Las Vegas, that were cancelled.
"Performers are relying a lot on tips for online shows but there is no tip culture here so quite often, we don't get paid," she said.
"My regular gig at Subside isn't coming back for a while and even then most venues can't afford live acts right now.
"This has been my life for ten years and going freelance gave me the freedom and flexibility I needed to take care of myself and my mental health.
"Since all of this, I've gone back onto medication for my anxiety and depression. I feel like I have nothing left."
Wildvixen has said she wasn't entitled to Universal Credit and remained uncertain about how she would face the future.
It was announced last month that the self-employed income support scheme would be extended to a third and fourth round of grants, with payments designed to cover the period until April next year.
On Thursday, October 22, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced he was doubling the support available under the next phase of the scheme, starting next month.
The Treasury previously said it would cover 20 per cent of average monthly profits, up to a total of £1,875, until January.
But it will now increase this amount to 40 per cent, meaning the maximum grant will be worth £3,750. The government has not yet said how much the grant starting next February will cover.
HM Revenue and Customs said: "We cannot comment on individual cases.
"However, we calculate the grant with the earnings from the evidence provided. The only way the average would be low is if one year of earnings was significantly lower than the other."
