I am a 32 y/o single guy and I have a unique problem here. I hope you can help.

My sister Susan is a 29 y/o single female and last year, because of the bad economy, she lost her job. She has been searching for work ever since and working at various temp agencies. She was living with her boyfriend. One day she came home and found her stuff on the front lawn, the locks changed on the door, and a note from the boyfriend telling her to get lost. Apparantly the a-hole took off on a trip with another woman. So she called me up, crying (I don’t blame her) and asked me to come and get her. When she got in my car, the only thing she said was, I need to stay with you a couple of days.

So then a couple of days later, I asked Susan if she wanted to stay while she found work. I have a 2-bed, 2-bath condo and I figured it would be better for her than staying with our parents or sleeping on a friend’s couch or futon. I figured this way, she could have some privacy. I’d let her stay rent-free provided she looked for work and/or temped, paid 1/2 the grocery bill, and did her share of cleaning (I’m a fairly neat housekeeper). She could have the guest room. My sister’s a smart girl, so I thought she’d have no trouble finding a job.

That was 8 months ago.

Susan has since settled in. That guest room has become her room. She hasn’t taken over the rest of the condo, but that room has become her little corner of the world. When my buddies want to come over, especially if we’ve been out at night, I have to call to make sure she’s not asleep or if she’s still dressed. I’ve gotten a girlfriend now and she’s pressuring me a lot to make Susan move out. In fact, she doesn’t like Susan whereas Susan has tried to make friends with her. Plus I want to convert that guest room to a bar area.

The dilemna is that I genuinely like my sister. We get along well. Plus Susan has held up her end of the bargain–she’s been actively looking for work but she just can’t find anything other than some temp work. She’s been quiet and except for a couple of minor disagreements, it hasn’t been too bad having her around.

But the girlfriend is really putting the pressure on me. But how can I turn my back on a family member, my own flesh and blood? Susan’s helped me out in the past. Have any of you been in a similar situation? Have any of you had to help out a sibling? What did you do?