The Skagit County Community Action Agency just received $273,444 in grant money and 14 Americorps volunteers through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

Community Action applied for the funding in June, and Gov. Christine Gregoire announced that $11.7 million would be distributed to 32 safety net agencies across the state July 29. Executive Director Bill Henkel said Community Action planned to use the funding to create a referral center for clients and a volunteer center.

It’s welcome money and staffing at a time when state funding has been cut and donations have not been able make up for the loss. Now Henkel said he just needs to find the space for his plans in an already cramped pair of buildings.

“If we can find even a closet to do it in, great,” Henkel said. “But if we can find a bigger space to put it in, even better.”

Lynn Christoferson, director of the community services division, said the agency has more employees than phone lines right now. And service providers already hold delicate and personal conversations in rooms with many other employees present.

“We ask people a lot of private questions about income and personal situations,” Christoferson said. “Our clients don’t get much privacy when they come in.”

Kim Olander, a case manager at Community Action, said she has to ask people about Social Security numbers, income and whatever crisis they are experiencing in a room with three other staffed desks and people walking in and out. As she explained the difficulty of managing housing clients in a tight space, another case manager spoke with a client in lowered voices.

“Confidentiality is pretty much nothing,” Olander said. “We prefer to do home visits because it’s more comfortable for them, but funding doesn’t allow that.”

To find space for these two centers and many of the 14 Americorps volunteers who will be placed at the Community Action offices on Riverside Drive, Henkel is working to expand and reorganize the center’s space, which is already filled to near capacity. Henkel wants to find additional funding to purchase the county-owned building facing Riverside, which Community Action already uses in part.

If the agency can take over that building, Henkel said he would work to reorganize the various programs and move family-based services to one building and adult-based services to another. The building also would also give more space to the various programs Community Action runs or simply houses.

Each building will house one of the new centers. Henkel said he plans to organize a safety net referral center in the adult-services building.

The center would provide information about local safety net agencies and face-to-face contact with a Community Action employee who will help guide the clients to the appropriate service. Along with this, Community Action would establish and organize monthly meetings with area safety nets to update everyone on what services they can provide so that each agency can accurately direct people to the appropriate place.

He said the center would not replace the Snohomish County-based 2-1-1 call center, which refers callers from Skagit County to area safety net agencies. He wants the center to provide face-to-face contact that 2-1-1 can’t always provide over the phone. He also said the organization of area safety nets will help keep the call center informed.

Another portion of the funding will establish a volunteer center, in which people looking to help safety net agencies can meet and learn where they can help.

A smaller portion of funding will employ a limited number of Community Action clients. Community Action would then offer assistance to help keep the clients employed and train them to meet the needs of their employer.

Henkel said he’ll establish the programs either way, with or without a building expansion and remodel.

“Even if we don’t get that chance, we’ll make it work in a cubbyhole,” Henkel said.

• Aaron Burkhalter can be reached at 360-416-2141 or .