Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services Resource Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Community Action of Skagit County reports rising demand at Anacortes Resource Center; seeks continued city support
Summary
Community Action presented data showing increased usage of Anacortes Resource Center services — including a sharp rise in energy assistance — and outlined staffing and partnerships as it seeks continued city funding for 2026.
Sandy Finney, chief strategy officer at Community Action of Skagit County, told the Anacortes City Council that usage of the Anacortes Resource Center has grown substantially since the program began and asked for continued city financial support for 2026.
Finney said Community Action served 1,133 people in Anacortes during calendar year 2024. She reported program outcomes in 2024 that the organization presented to the council: approximately 243 people avoided homelessness, 468 accessed food and nutrition education, 925 expanded their income via benefits or other assistance, and nearly $50,000 in rent payments were made to Anacortes landlords through the program. Finney highlighted a very large increase in energy and utility assistance in Anacortes, from 161 people in a prior period to 752 in 2024.
Finney described staffing and service changes that drove the increase in reach: the center now has a part-time WIC position, a service screener (front-desk), a resource coordinator who performs outreach in the community, and a resource events coordinator based in Mount Vernon who attends community events. The organization recently made one staff member a full-time energy intake specialist to respond to the surge in energy assistance demand. An employment specialist now operates in Anacortes on a weekly schedule to provide job support.
Councilmembers asked about senior services and Meals on Wheels after the county gave notice it would stop providing senior nutrition and Meals on Wheels; Finney said Community Action has begun conversations with the county and senior activity centers about partnerships but characterized the program as large and resource-intensive and said it would require creative partnerships and funding to expand. She said the energy assistance funding comes in part from Puget Sound Energy and from LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program).
Council members praised Community Action’s work and asked for more detail in future reports about staffing hours and how many youth and seniors are served. Finney requested continued city funding for 2026 and said the center’s presence in town and additional staffing were major drivers of increased service delivery.
Finney: “Our vision is a community in which everyone works together to end poverty in Skagit County.”
