oh geez! Sounds like they took the initiative and screwed you over before you could expose their illegal dealings (intentionally or not). Was this because you asserted yourself and said you'd be unable to pay for the accident? Or you asked her to provide something other than her word that they aren't crooks? Either way, they've shown themselves to be poor friends, and believe it or not, I'd say you're better off without them.
I was gonna suggest some sort of volunteering, which you can usually do in exchange for a place to stay (and maybe some meals). WWOOF readily comes to mind. I also spent a night with the Japan Cat Network in the Kyoto area (near Emmachi station), as my friends were volunteering there and I was passing through. I did a little translation work to earn my keep, but there were quite a few people there with different responsibilities. They help out with a nearby school (english teaching) and run an airbnb service for a few local houses, so they have some volunteers working to help with that. I did a search and saw this post that they were looking for a manager, but I think unless they're full they'd be open to volunteers for a while. It helps if you like cats:
Volunteer (Kyoto): Kyoto guest house and volunteer manager - idealist.org
If you decide to contact Susan, you can tell her that you were referred by Alison and Vincent's friend David, who came one day in mid-November last year. I did the translations for the interviews that Vincent shot and edited.
other options...
Another thought was when looking up "volunteer kyoto" I came across the
Good Samaritan Club which is a group of college students that are volunteer guides for the area. While this in itself doesn't necessarily help, their group name gives me hope that if you got in touch with them, they might be able to help you out. This is going out on a limb though.
The other thing you can try is a site like
Stay with Locals and Make Travel Friends | Couchsurfing where individuals provide free accommodations for travelers (although it's usually only for a few days at most, so you might be bouncing around). This could help you out for a few days while you figure things out, but you need to fill out your profile very thoroughly. Remember, you're a stranger asking to stay with someone, they need to get an idea of who they're dealing with. Having a complete and detailed profile and sending requests that show that you've actually read the host's profile is very important. I'd try to limit the sob story and just say that your living situation fell through and you need some help while you figure things out.
I hope some of that helps. What a crummy situation, but stay positive! You'll pull through this somehow, it's all part of the adventure!