Our History
HelpLine of Delaware and Morrow Counties, Inc. (HelpLine) is a nonprofit social services agency with more than 50 years of experience providing crisis support, prevention education and training, information and referral services, and volunteer opportunities to individuals and families across North Central Ohio. Founded in 1970 by a group of visionary women, HelpLine began as a grassroots effort to support single, pregnant women in crisis.
Over the decades, HelpLine has grown into a multi-county, multi-service agency and now serves as the region’s only 24/7 comprehensive crisis line and information and referral provider. Originally operating under the name Help Anonymous, the organization has evolved significantly. Strategic mergers with Ohio Wesleyan University’s “The Listening Post” in 1974 and Morrow County’s Hopeline in 1996 expanded HelpLine’s reach and formalized its presence as HelpLine of Delaware and Morrow Counties, Inc.
Today, HelpLine employs more than 45 staff across three offices in Delaware, Morrow, and Crawford counties, supported by a robust network of volunteers. We serve a diverse and growing population across eight counties and respond to an average of 19,000 requests annually for crisis support and community resources.
Our programs are grounded in best practices, strong community partnerships, and a commitment to equity and innovation. In 2000, HelpLine became the first agency in Ohio to join the 1.800.SUICIDE talk network - the only suicide network to cover the United States at that time. Two years later, we were the first in the state to launch the 211 information and referral line, connecting residents to vital health and human services. In 2023, HelpLine began answering 988 suicide and crisis lifeline calls, becoming one of just four agencies in Ohio to offer a blended information and referral and crisis prevention hotline.
Additional programs include our trauma-informed sexual assault services through the Sexual Assault Response Network (SARN) and evidence-based suicide and violence prevention, programming in schools and communities. Launched in 1996, our award-winning Connections Volunteer Center helps bridge the gap between passionate volunteers and pressing community needs, with a special emphasis on engaging adults aged 55 and older. Its flagship program, Sages & Seekers, is an innovative eight-week intergenerational experience designed to foster empathy and reduce ageism through in-person conversations between older adults and high school students.
Throughout our history, HelpLine has remained at the forefront of innovation—integrating technology like text-based crisis support (text helpline to 898211), and continually expanding programs in response to community needs. HelpLine continues to serve as the go-to resource for individuals in crisis and for those working to create lasting change through education, advocacy, and volunteerism.
HelpLine is a provider agency of the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health & Recovery Services Board, a partner of the United Ways of Delaware, Morrow, and Union counties, and is partially funded by SourcePoint, the Ohio Attorney General’s Crime Victims Services Office, the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services, the Ohio Department of Health, and private donations. HelpLine is certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the American Association of Suicidology, and is accredited by Inform USA.
