United Way has a long, rich history in New York City. We've been helping people in need throughout all five boroughs build more self-sufficient lives for nearly 70 years Our Mission United Way of New York City creates, leads and supports strategic initiatives that address the root causes of critical human care problems in order to achieve measurable improvement in the lives of the city's most vulnerable residents and communities. Throughout our work, we partner with neighborhood agencies, government, business, foundations, volunteers and others so that collectively we can achieve more than any one organization working alone.