A question...
You can't help but notice the very high numbers of first nations people living on the street in all big centers...not just Prince George.
So somebody tell me what it is that causes them to leave their home reserves and communities,their friends and their families,and live on the streets?
Why wouldn't they just go home to where they at least would know they have some sort of support system?
Is living on the streets better than what they left?
And also,I had a peek in "Chances" the other night...guess where the welfare checks are going?
Talk about exploiting the poor!

People can spend their money how they want. It is not up to you or I to say they must buy certain things with their money and not spend it on others. That is part of being free. It is a persons choice to spend their money on entertainment rather than food and clothing. Maybe there should be some information provided to gamblers that shows them how wasteful they are being and how they will not come out of a casino richer than when they went in. There is a reason John Majors is so wealthy. It's because people give him money for nothing.

I could not agree more lightgreengirl....sad but true!
But unfortunately,it is learning to make correct and beneficaL choices that make the difference in peoples lives.
Poor choices only lead to a poor quality of life.
Getting back to my original question...still nobody seems to want to answer it.

because many (not all) reservations are riddled with drugs and alcohol and abuse. The children grow up not knowing how to properly survive in an adult world thus following in the cycle of their parents. Many are born into and die in poverty. You can't expect these people to make the choice to feed and house themselves instead of gamble when they were never taught HOW to feed and house themselves. It is very sad in my opinion.

If they knew better, they would do better.

I'm with you Andy. But I do understand why they leave. In some instances they don't have a choice. And if you are a meth addict do you really care where you live...it's all about the drug and addiction. I just don't think that the best way to help them is with handouts. The Bands need to help their own people. It's not like they don't have the money to do so.

Exactly my point Dogwood!!

Going from hunter-gather to farmer-herder took hundreds of years for the average paleface to transition to what ever we are now -a puesodo parasite of sorts, what do we expect of the aboriginal, i suppose time will tell who the real survivors will be,learn to share and be free of the monetary grabbing of the white looters maybe your life will improve to one of happiness.

Northern Taxpayer I think your comment is a bit of a racist comment (I don't like making the accusation) on the basis that you assume an individual born today is hampered based on the race of his/her parents... and that is wrong IMO. I think it took society maybe hundreds of years to transform from hunter-gather to farmer-herder, but as for the individual I think we are all born with the same capacity to adapt to the world and society we are born into.

I blame the problem we are talking about (homeless youth) to ignorance. Specifically ignorance of the parents and guardians of the early homeless habituators and those that guided and raised and influenced the acceptable norms of the generations of fathers and mothers that allowed ignorance to become their reality through falling victim to propaganda manipulations that generated their behavioral expectations.

This would be a complicated subject I'm sure, but a very good example is when a kid smokes pot for the first time. How is that dealt with... or girl gets knocked up, or kid gets caught stealing, or doesn't attend school, doesn't clean dishes, hangs out with the wrong crowd, or generally acts in a way that has no class, character, or dignity? What does that parent do... do they have forethought or training to deal with it... or does ignorance rule the day and the kid figures the streets make more sense then mindless rules, abuse, or good intentions ruled by naivety fundamentalism?

I think these are questions parents need to ask of themselves. Are they ignorant of their ignorance and is their ignorance an enabler of the problems that drive their children into the streets.

I think if kids can be honest with their parents, and the home is not one of abuse, then the problem would be solved in 99% of the cases.

Ignorance also applies to the parents own moral behaviors in the examples they set as another form of ignorance... and all to often the leading form of ignorance. Ignorance in this form is likely of the abuse type.

Ignorance of the relationship would likely be of a non abuse type.. or both?

AIMHO

There isnt really any need to single out a race in this discussion. Homelessness and drugs, teen prostitution and intergenerational poverty are present in all races in Canada. It is true that first nations peoples are by far more commonly affected. The reasons for this are pretty obvious to me, as a parent.
It is, unfortunately true that children are most affected by what their parents/ guardians do, rather than what they say. If you drink a lot or do drugs or have no respect for the law or for western culture/society then your kids will follow suit (not all of them, just most). If you go through life pitying yourself and blaming the world for your misfortunes, dont expect your children to do any differently.
It really doesnt matter how much money you throw at people. In fact the money itself is often the problem. Does anyone know a lottery/ insurance millionair whos fortune was their downfall? I do.
To say people are ignorant of how to lead the good life suggests that education (pamphlets maybe) is possible. Imagine if someone came to your house tomorrow and told you that you need to be taught how to live right. Your morals, your ideas of where you fit into society, your view of your family are all wrong and you need help. What would you do? Would you sign up for the classes? People are all taught how to think and act from a very early age. THey arent ignorant.
I have to laugh when they talk about polygamists being brain washed. Who in this world is not brainwashed? We are taught what to do and what is normal from the day we are born. It is human see, human do. Parents dont need classes on how to raise kids. If they are good citizens then (occasional act ups notwithstanding ) their kids will follow suit.