The Summit Board of County Commissioners proclaimed a workforce housing crisis in the county during its regular meeting Tuesday, June 22.

The proclamation, which was passed unanimously via resolution, doesn’t grant the commissioners any emergency powers. Instead, the edict is meant to serve as a call to action for local, state and federal authorities to prioritize the attainment of affordable housing, warning that inaction “will result in irreversible changes to the fabric of the community and limit the ability of the community to serve visitors and residents alike.”

The proclamation calls on local governments, businesses and employers in the county to research and implement any viable strategies they can come up with to address the workforce housing shortage, and it implores the state to allocate funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to assist Summit County and its towns with developing new solutions.

“Obviously, housing is the core of what we are as a community, and unless we find a way through this crisis, we simply won’t be able to maintain our community,” Commissioner Tamara Pogue said. “We cannot do this on our own as Summit County government. … We desperately need help from our partners, and one of the largest partners in this space that can help is the state. And so we hope this proclamation will really motivate the state to provide deeper support to communities like ours.”