How is poverty a cycle for Junior's family?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is fiction. But it’s based, at least in part, on the real-life experiences of the author, Sherman Alexie. Alexie came of age on the Spokane Indian Reservation and identifies as Spokane-Couer d’Alene; in the novel, his protagonist, fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit Jr (a.k.a. Junior) lives on the same reservation in the state of Washington. The book deals with poverty, violence, and alcoholism, particularly as it relates to the indigenous community that’s central to the narrative.
Poverty is a cycle across cultures, but in Junior’s case, the family’s poverty is tied to larger issues on the reservation. In real life, both of the author’s parents were alcoholics, which made it difficult to hold down steady jobs. The same is true of Junior’s parents in the novel, though his mother is in recovery from her addiction. Alexie has spoken and written extensively on the subject of alcohol abuse in Native American communities and the ways in which it prevents individuals and families from making upward progress.
Another factor that perpetuates poverty in Junior’s world is lack of access to educational and professional opportunities. Junior has talent; he’s an aspiring cartoonist. But most of the kids living on the reservation don’t have the resources to develop their talents. Junior, at least, is an exception to that rule: one of his teachers notices his abilities and encourages him to enroll in a school off the reservation. Junior’s experiences as the only indigenous student at an all-white high school—the challenges he faces there, as well as the new opportunities he finds—form the basis of the novel.