PORTLAND, MAINE (AP)

Portland has created a $500,000 fund to help residents who are falling behind on their rent payments because of the pandemic.

The program, approved in May, will get underway this month using federal funding to provide up to $2,250 per household, or $750 a month in assistance for as many as three months.

The program also offers up to $250 to help pay utility bills during the pandemic, said Mary Davis, division director for the city’s Housing and Community Development program.

The money comes from federal funding provided under the CARES Act, a major coronavirus relief package passed by Congress this spring.

The program takes effect as court hearings on evictions could resume as soon as Aug. 3 under the state courts’ reopening plan.