When you tell your friends the situation, that doesn't mean you're trying to involve them. You're simply telling them what's wrong. It's up to your friends to decide if they want to help you.
For instance, your boyfriend is abusing you. You're still in school, but you don't have money for rent if you stay at other places. Well, you ask your friend if you can stay at his place for a while because of problems at home... but you don't have money to pay for rent. Your friend is kind enough to let you stay for free for a while until things gets resolved. Now, you can still go to school.
That's why it's important to communicate. Good friends are understanding. 
(It happened to me before. I moved in my friends' apartment thinking that I would be their roommate for the next year. A few days later, one roommate suddenly decides to pack up and move out (for stupid reasons) with 2 months left on the lease. This left me and another roommate to pay more in rent for 2 more months and forced us to have to look for another place to live.
A month later, my other roommate decides to move out and live with his girlfriend out-of-state. So, I'm all alone for 1 month. Yet, I have 2 more months before I go back to school.
I manage to find a job on campus as a resident advisor so that I have a place to live while I'm in school. That still leaves me with 2 weeks for a place to live. I find a friend who offers to let me stay at his house for 2 weeks... for free. He was a great friend. A year later, I became his roommate for the summer... paid my part. Another year later, I'm become his roommate again. Great friend.
