PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine’s state housing authority has halted new applications for emergency rental assistance while it waits to find out if a request for more federal money will be approved.

MaineHousing said in a statement that an “unanticipated uptick in demand” and uncertainty about new revenue prompted the decision to pause applications. The program started in March 2021 and stopped taking applications at the end of the day on Thursday.

The housing authority described the program as a temporary support that is funded via federal money through COVID-19 relief laws. The authority said the pause will allow more than 11,000 pending requests to be processed.

The program has helped more than 33,000 households and spent more than $275 million, MaineHousing officials said. The program is mostly used to pay rent directly to landlords.

MaineHousing spokesperson Scott Thistle said the pause in applications “a fiscally responsible and reasonable move that will allow us to ensure all who have already applied to this program get a fair opportunity to receive help.”

Dozens of other states have paused or ended similar programs.