PF Changes Inc. is a safe space for young people in our communities to enter adulthood with more confidence and enthusiasm. Here, we offer youth from every walk of life the freedom to take advantage of their independence: Poor, Middle Class, Wealthy, Educated, Reentry Citizens, Former Foster Care Youths, Parents, members of the LGBTQ+ community, Spiritual, and Non-Spiritual. However, it should be noted that PF Changes Inc. is a support and empowerment program, not a substitute for emergency or clinical care.
The Problems Young Adults Face Today
Young adults face numerous challenges today as they try to navigate the real world while still developing their sense of self. While many young people have the guidance to thrive in society from the very beginning, there are still gaps they may need help managing. Additionally, those who need support most are often blindsided by the sudden transition into adulthood. That’s where intervention and communal support come in. From newfound independence and self-discovery to economic instability, the pressure to succeed (coupled with the fear of failure), mental health issues, and increased rates of social isolation, this new generation is globally facing problems that weren’t seen just 10 years ago.
There is no handbook on how to become an adult the “right way”; every journey is different, but the facts remain the same—the next generation needs more guidance than ever. Data shows that the common denominator for young adults in need is not a poverty issue—it is a life-stability issue. The challenge of becoming the new adults with little to no support affects people from low-income, middle-income, and wealthy households. It especially impacts young people aging out of foster care, reentry participants, young parents, LGBTQ+ young adults facing rejection or homelessness, individuals in spiritual crisis or with no spiritual support system, and people with hidden mental health or identity struggles.
At PF Changes Inc., we pride ourselves on being universal without being vague, so we have compiled multiple datasets on the biggest challenges young adults face, both locally and nationwide, to show the importance of organizations like PF Changes Inc. to communities.
Homelessness & Housing Instability
Homelessness and housing instability are widespread issues, especially among young people. Not only are they the most at-risk group to become homeless, but at least 3.5 million young adults experience homelessness in a single year nationwide1. While the circumstances do vary, unfortunately, the homelessness rate among young adults is often seen as an invisible struggle, resulting from systemic barriers, family instability, poverty, and discrimination.
Locally, in Dallas and Collin counties, The Housing Forward & Institute for Community Alliances’ 2025 Point-In-Time (PIT) Count identified 3,541 people experiencing homelessness, with 130 being unaccompanied homeless young adults and 17% of the total number coming from Collin County. Out of those surveyed, Black households made up 56.9% of the homeless population even though they make up just 19% of the general population.
Homelessness has reached record levels in recent years and only continues to increase. From historic discrimination to unfavorable life circumstances, youths are more vulnerable without community and a support system. Young people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity are at high risk for adverse outcomes and chronic homelessness, impacting them for a lifetime.
Isolation & Lack of Belonging
Everyone wants to feel as though they belong and craves social connectedness. That desire for belonging can be fulfilled through different relationships and peer groups, but it can be difficult to achieve in the world we live in today. The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on social connection identifies loneliness and isolation as a public health concern, finding that approximately half of U.S. adults report experiencing loneliness, with some of the highest rates being amongst young adults. Furthermore, the report states that a lack of social connection can increase the risk for premature death, equating to smoking as many as 15 cigarettes a day.
Fear of superficial connections, a lack of meaning or purpose, the domineering
prevalence of digital environments, and many other factors all play a role in allowing young adults to feel more comfortable without face-to-face time with their peers, creating the illusion that they might be more comfortable by themselves or forcing them into isolation.
However, young adults need social interaction and strong relationships for their well-being as they continue to develop their identity, whether through a mentorship program, community events, or intentional relationship-building with family and friends. A report from Harvard and the Making Care Common Project found that 34% of surveyed young adults feel lonely and 44% feel as if they do not matter to others. The longer an individual isolates themselves from society, the more it can negatively impact their mental and physical health.
Mental & Physical Health Awareness
Young adults nationwide, especially in low-income areas and minority-dense communities, need more access to mental health providers and more people willing to listen so that they feel seen and heard. Statistically, young women, LGBTQ+ youth, and children of color experience higher rates of mental exhaustion and mental health struggles than their peers. In 2023, 40% of high school students felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row that they stopped doing their usual activities, according to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Because the hardships young people experience are interconnected and can significantly impact their mental well-being, a sense of togetherness is crucial. If left untreated, or even unrecognized, mental health struggles can lead to even more adverse habits in the future. For example, nearly half of young adults aged 18 to 25 in 2024 had either a mental illness or a substance use disorder (that’s around 16 million people!), but more than one out of every five adults who have a mental illness also experience substance use disorders. Also in 2024, The Trevor Project’s National Survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people revealed some startling findings:
- 39% of LGBTQ+ young adults seriously considered suicide within the past year, with LGBTQ+ youth of color reporting higher rates than white peers.
- For ages 18 to 24, 33% considered suicide and 8% attempted suicide.
- 66% of LGBTQ+ young people reported experiencing recent symptoms of anxiety, while 53% reported feeling symptoms of depression.
- 84% of all LGBTQ+ young people wanted mental health care, but 50% of them were unable to get it.
- 12% (more than 1 in 10) LGBTQ+ youth attempted suicide in the past year.
And that is just a snapshot of the mental health crisis impacting just one demographic. Unfortunately, daily support and affordable mental health resources are not always readily available for many. Texas Health’s 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment for the Collin County region identified healthcare access, literacy, transportation, and connectedness as key problem areas for those communities. Additionally, 11.2% of Collin County adults experience frequent mental distress, which translates into about 130,000 adults.
How PF Changes Inc. Can Mitigate These Issues
New generations need help learning to adult, now more than ever. The challenges they face are connected and will continue to worsen unless we take collective action. Unpreparedness for adulthood can only be corrected with one thing—life empowerment training. Young adults worldwide suffer from a need for structure, clarity, healing, skills, accountability, and supportive community. Without these tools, they will never fully recognize their potential or discover the possibilities available to them beyond their hardships.
Addressing life’s different struggles can seem daunting, especially without the funds or resources to do so. However, while income can reduce some material risks, it does not eliminate isolation, depression, substance use, identity confusion, family dysfunction, or lack of life skills. That is why PF Changes Inc. invites individuals from every socioeconomic class, race, background, culture, and beyond to join the program and fill in the gaps—together.
PF Changes Inc. is positioned to address a real, measurable need: young adults who are unprepared for sudden transitions into adulthood. Our goal remains the same: create new possibilities, change lives, and build brighter futures. This nonprofit offers a life-empowerment and stabilization program that supports young adults at any stage of life. Using a tiered model, participants can enroll with different levels of need and still receive mentorship, identity development, awareness, structure, and future life planning. Some individuals need crisis stabilization; some need life skills development; some may need to discover a purpose and exercise discipline; some need social support or referral pathways. When facilitation is trauma-informed, dignity-centered, and flexible, all groups can be served successfully. It is never too late to receive help and begin the journey towards personal fulfillment.
Interested in changing the futures of young adults? Invest in PF Changes Inc. or learn how you can get involved directly.