A program aimed to help residents stay warm during cold weather has been in high demand in east Skagit County this winter.

Organizers of the Energy Assistance program, spearheaded by Mount Vernon-based Skagit County Community Action Agency, say they have seen an increasing number of residents apply for heating and electrical aid at the Ted Anderson Community Resource Center in Concrete.

Since fall, residents of Concrete, Rockport and Marblemount have been able to fill out applications for the program at the center. Those are then faxed to Community Action’s Mount Vernon office, saving residents a trip, said Pat Hillman, east county resource center coordinator.

The convenience has led more residents to take advantage of the service than in previous years, Hillman said.

“People around here totally depend on it,” she said.

Community Action provides more than $400,000 in assistance each year to more than 1,000 households countywide, according to the agency’s Web site.

The harsh winter and tough economy have forced more people to seek help, said Marie Strangeland, the energy program coordinator. The program will serve about 3,000 people this year, compared to about 1,200 that qualified last winter.

“I’ve seen people that I’ve never seen before,” she said.

Program funding stems from four sources — the federal government, Puget Sound Energy, the Salvation Army and Cascade Natural Gas.

Community Action provides applications, and eligibility is based on household income, insurance and other factors.

Community Action typically travels to Concrete twice per month to interview applicants, but this December the weather kept employees away. When they finally made it to the East County Resource Center in January, more than 50 applicants showed up seeking interviews.

Strangeland said some residents were snowed in during the storm and had to walk for two hours in order to apply for assistance.

Skagit County Commissioner Sharon Dillon, who helped organize the effort and infrastructure needed for upriver residents to apply by fax, said having a convenient place for eastern Skagit County residents to apply for energy has made a big difference.

The system is not perfect though, she said. Applications take some time to be approved, and that wait time can be tough on residents, Dillon said.

“It’s not an overnight kind of thing,” she said. “There has to be verification, and there are stacks of paperwork. Unfortunately there is the delay.”

Strangeland said that if residents have no heat, they can apply for emergency assistance. But doing so requires a visit to Community Action’s main office in Mount Vernon.

Community Action can be reached at 360-416-7585.