Best friend of 20 years has been completely screwed over by the pandemic. She owns a gym and all her staff have been furloughed but she has been entitled to very little. As such she’s eaten through her savings, had to give up her flat and has been living in her gym for the last few months. Someone reported her as living there and she has been told to leave ASAP as it invalidates her business insurance.
She’s asked if she could come and stay with me for a few months while she gets back on her feet. I do have a spare room but I’m currently going through a marriage break up although dh is still living here. It’s a massively uncomfortable environment that I’m trying to keep as calm as possible for dc and the last thing I need would be friend adding to the stress by being here. Not that she’d be any trouble, just that I like my own space and I feel I’d never be able to fully relax with her here all the time.
I’ve offered her enough money for a deposit and the first couple of months rent on a furnished flat that a friend of mine is renting out (privately so considerably cheaper than a lot of the other places available m). If she didn’t want that particular flat then I can give her money for another one, that one just seemed perfect.
But she’s adamant that she won’t take my money, that she doesn’t want to take handouts and she wants to get out of this mess on her own.I’ve made it perfectly clear that if much prefer her to take the money - it really makes no difference to me financially whether she does or not (I know this makes me sound like a dick but it’s true), I don’t need it paying back anytime soon or even ever if she can’t afford to and it would be so much less stressful for me if she rented somewhere rather than moved in with me for an indefinite amount of time.
How can I convince her to take it? I’d never let her be homeless obviously and will let her stay with me if she is really stuck. I just don’t understand why she wouldn’t take an option that would be easier for both of us.