Hard work does not always equal financial success. Many families live paycheck to paycheck and face a crisis when unexpected costs crop up.
Maureen Robichaud and her family know this reality all too well.
Despite Maureen and her father Paul working full-time to support the family, the family has found it hard to make ends meet, as Maureen’s mother Carolyn has been unable to work after a bone infection forced doctors to amputate her leg below the knee.
“My parent have worked hard since they were teenagers,” said Maureen. “We’ve gone to the town for assistance and all they told my parents to do was sell their home and move into an apartment.”
There are a number of fixes needed at the Robichaud’s house in Jaffrey, according to Maureen, most notably a $10,000 repair needed to the family’s leach field.
Maureen said that her father and mother have worked hard their whole lives “making an honest living.” Her father works full-time for the NH Department of Transportation, and her mother had worked as a nurse at an assisted living complex before she became disabled.
“My parents don’t have credit cards, they don’t go on vacation and they don’t splurge on things,” said Maureen. “My parents, over the years, have worked hard and did the best they could to save money, but house and car repairs have caused their savings to dwindle.”
The most upsetting part of the situation, according to Maureen, is that despite not being able to afford these costly repairs, her family is unable to get assistance from local, state, or federal sources. Maureen said her family doesn’t qualify for programs like the food pantry or home heating assistance.
The family has started a gofundme page at gofundme.com/robichaud2015.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.