The Story of the Help Handbook

On every trip that I make from my house to virtually any destination in Franklin County, OH, I encounter at least three of four people standing on the corner or pacing along the berm with homemade signs asking for help. Since I am not the kind of person to judge them, fear them or even suspect them of running a scam, I regularly roll down my window and hand them what they asked for – money.

However, one night literally in my sleep, it came to me that those of us who reside in Franklin County live in a place with some of the richest and most abundant social and human resources to be found anywhere in America. But what good is the existence of these resources if the people who really need them don’t know about them?

That’s where the Help Handbook came in. I asked myself: “What if instead of giving a person a $5 bill which might get him or her one meal at Wendys, I could hand them a book of resources which was small enough to hold in their hand and fit in their back pocket.  And what if that book was not only compact, but comprehensive enough to address almost any need they may have from emergency hotlines, to food, to housing, to spiritual support? 

Thus, with the support of Faith Ministries Church and a grant from Adamh Franklin County, Wise Works, Inc. published the first edition of the Help Handbook in 2022. The book has been updated and published every year since. Thousands of them have been distributed FREE to people on the corner, churches, community centers, shelters and more. 

With the 2025 edition, we have added a new way for people to access this information –  that is this website: “The HelpHandbookOnline.com.” Before, we assumed that people on the corner may not have access to high technology, so we created a low-tech tool which would direct them to help. 

Now, we realize that not only may some of those people have a phone and access to the internet, but these are not the only ones who may need help! This website enables us to expand the reach of our information and make it available to any and everyone 24/7, 365 with $0 printing cost! 

The online form of the Help Handbook also has the advantage be being able t,o be updated instantly and not having to wait for next year’s edition to do so. We invite and encourage new organizations to be added to make it more complete and an even greater tool for people in Franklin County who need help to get help. There is no shame in needing help. Everyone needs a little help now and then. The shame is having it available and not knowing that it exists or where to find it!

Dr. D. Dexter Wise III