On Monday, Jinagh Navas-Rivas was still in the wind. He was being hunted by the RCMP. Hes charged with transferring firearms and trafficking in cocaine in Richmond, New Westminster and Vancouver.
If not for an enterprising Richmond Review reporter, the news of those charges against Navas-Rivas and four other men would have likely been nothing more than a brief story in that local paper. It was only when Martin van dem Hemel realized that Navas-Rivas was Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertsons former foster son that his report whet the appetite of media outlets across the country.
What I have so far been able to piece together about Navas-Rivas is this: He is the son of an immigrant couple. His father has not been in the picture for some time; he is in contact with his mother but she is apparently considered dysfunctional. He was introduced to the Robertsons by their daughter in 2007 as a fellow student at Prince of Wales high school. He was 17 years old and living on his own.
It is likely that at that point Navas-Rivas was in the care of the B.C. government living under an independent living agreement, which is offered to street kids at the age of 16 along with funds to help them support themselves.
It was primarily Robertsons wife Amy who drove the decision to take Navas-Rivas in; they formally applied for and were granted foster parent status. From that point on, the Robertsons referred to Navas-Rivas as their son as a way of making him feel truly welcome. The boy appeared to do well over the next two years, participating in sports and graduating from high school.
Even though Navas-Rivas got a job and moved out of the Robertson family home two years ago at the age of 19, on the mayors city hall website Robertson still refers to the fact that he has four children, which would include Navas-Rivas.
And Navas-Rivas was still included as part of the family on any number of occasions. Most recently he appeared on stage with Robertson and his family during Robertsons victory speech following the Nov. 19 civic election. Ironically, that event occurred within hours of Navas-Rivas allegedly committing at least one criminal acttransferring firearmsfor which he has been charged.
That is at least part of the story.
For more you can turn to the Internet, which is awash with information about people in foster care and the diminishing number of families like the Robertsons who are willing to welcome them into their homes.
Last month a report from the McCreary Centre, a non-profit based in Burnaby that focuses on kids, observed this: It is clear that young people in government care face higher rates of mental-health problems, substance use, have poorer nutrition, and are more likely to consider and attempt suicide.
Not all children who go through the foster home system fail, but stories of success are rare. According to the citys homeless coordinator, Judy Graves, about 60 per cent of folks who find themselves in shelters grew up in a multitude of foster placements. They are also disproportionately represented among the prison population.
Even though kids like Navas-Rivas may be supported by the state, when they turn 19, they are on their own. That is remarkable when you consider that according to the most recent Canadian statistics, more than half of young people between 20 and 24 in so-called stable family settings are still living with their parent(s). And about 25 per cent of the young people who do leave those stable homes end up returning for a period of time.
According to that McCreary Centre survey, nothing helps kids in care more than a sense of belonging. That is what the Robertsons offered Navas-Rivas.
And while the mayor has urged Navas-Rivas to turn himself into the cops, Im told the Robertsons are a ways from writing this guy off.
