Vision Urbana, Inc. (VU) was founded in 1993 as a faith-based initiative of the Primitive Christian Church, a long standing institution in the Lower East Side (LES) with a 60 year history of service, led by well-respected community leaders such as the current Senior Pastor Dr. Marcos Rivera, who is widely esteemed by local faith and political leaders, who currently sits on the NYCHA Faith based Advisory board and sits as the Chair for Vision Urbana, Inc. VU was Incorporated in 1996 as an independent NYS nonprofit and a federally tax exempt 501c3 organization. Since 1998, Vision Urbana has successfully operated a range of programs that help hundreds of low-income and economically distressed seniors, families and at-risk youth annually in the Lower East Side. These programs address issues of youth violence, poor educational attainment, lack of employment, health disparities and mental health, and the need for social and recreational activities, as well as mentorship, parent/family counseling, and youth leadership development.