How often do you go hungry?

Are you warm enough?

It’s getting cold outside, and many are preparing for another Alaska winter by purchasing new coats, gloves, boots and stocking up on hot chocolate. If you were one of the dozens of Mat-Su Valley teens at Burchell High School on Saturday, chances are the answer to that questions is no.

How often do you go hungry?

The notion of truly being hungry is foreign to most of us. Skipping lunch because you’re too busy at work or eating a smaller portion at dinnertime because that spare tire has a little too much “air” doesn’t count. If you were one of the teens at BHS Saturday, chances are the answer to this question is frequently.

When’s the last time you slept in your own bed?

This is an easy one — last night, right? For Brandon, the answer is more sobering. He spent three years sleeping wherever he could unroll his sleeping bag.

Brandon was one of those teens at Burchell High on Saturday, where school counselor Michelle Overstreet supervised an event that gave clothing, food, advice and even a free haircut to homeless teens. If you think youth homelessness in the Valley is an isolated and small problem, think again.

Last school year, the Mat-Su Borough School District identified more than 900 students considered to be “in transition,” which means they are either homeless or don’t have a stable place to call home. More than 300 of those were high school students and many of them attend Burchell, Overstreet said.

While we applaud the generosity and selfless spirit of those like Overstreet, retired teacher and youth advocate Michael P. Carson and the Mat-Su Housing Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, in many ways we’re missing opportunities to help these teens.

From the ages of 13-16, Brandon was homeless. He said a combination of society in general turning a blind eye to the problem and his own reluctance to seek help prolonged his homelessness. He advises youth to speak up. Don’t be embarrassed or reluctant to ask for help, just talk to someone at school or a church.

We’ll take this advice a step farther and say it’s time for parents to take proactive steps to identify these teens. The best way to do that is to talk to your own kids and look for warning signs. Does your teen have another stay the night excessively? Does he or she know someone or have a classmate who may be in transition?

If the answer is yes, then seek advice from experts. You can call Overstreet at BHS at 373-7775, or contact the coalition online at akcoalition.com or at 232-4450.

It’s unacceptable that any of our young people answer “no,” “often” and “I don’t know” to questions like are you warm enough, do you have enough to eat and when is the last time you slept in your own bed. By opening our eyes a little, we can make a life-changing difference for them.