Applications open Monday for MaineHousing’s new eviction prevention pilot program, which seeks to reduce the burden of high rents and rental debt for households at risk of losing their homes.

The program, which was funded through a one-time, $18 million allocation from the state this year, will provide a two-fold approach to rent relief: offering tenants one-time assistance paying back-rent, plus monthly rent subsidies for one year, said Victoria Morales, executive director of the Quality Housing Coalition, which is overseeing the program via a contract with MaineHousing. She said the program will provide monthly rent assistance of up to $800 or the cost of rent – whichever is less – paid directly to landlords. Each recipient can get up to $19,200 in total relief, she said.

The pilot will target people who are actively facing eviction in court or who have received an eviction notice, Morales said. The program is also open to households that have received a notice to quit, MaineHousing said in a statement Friday.

“It’s really (designed) to go at the folks who are most at risk of eviction,” Morales said. She noted that Maine saw about 5,800 eviction filings last year, which is “a lot for our small state.”

The pilot will be open to households earning less than 60% of the area median income and paying less than 125% of their area’s fair market rent. Those who currently receive rental assistance through federal subsidies or who live in government-subsidized housing are not eligible for the new program.

Morales said that exclusion is designed to ensure assistance reaches individuals and families who are not already receiving some sort of help.

Roughly 65,000 households in Maine are rent-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and other housing costs, including utilities, MaineHousing spokesperson Scott Thistle said. Eviction can uproot a family, forcing children out of school and undermining their sense of stability, Morales said.

The $18 million the state set aside should be enough to cover administrative costs and provide assistance to between 800 and 1,100 households, Morales said. Of the total, just under $1.4 million will go toward the program’s administration costs and the salaries of nine employees, according to its contract with the state.

MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan said the program is designed reduce the likelihood that households currently facing eviction will do so again in the future, putting them on the path toward financial stability.

“We have the right partners in place to deliver a quality program that will help Mainers in need stay housed this winter, avoid eviction, and improve their economic condition,” Brennan said in a statement.

Thistle added that the coalition has “a track record of managing programs like this.” The Portland-based nonprofit’s proposal was selected from among a half-dozen bids.

“They have people in every county,” Thistle said. “It’s pretty impressive.”

Applications will open at 10 a.m. Monday, and those interested can apply online, by phone or by making an appointment in person, MaineHousing said. Morales hopes approvals will begin to roll out within a few weeks.

More details, including a breakdown of maximum rents for several regions in Maine, are available on MaineHousing’s website.

Morales called the new program a sign that Maine “really gets” the scale of housing needs across the state. But, she said, “This is not going to solve the housing crisis. This is just one solution.”