Renters in Maryland can now apply for four-month rebate vouchers through a Department of Housing and Community Development open-enrollment process if they can verify their inability to pay rent is related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor Larry Hogan announced the measure Friday, as hundreds of thousands of renters in the state are at risk of being kicked out of their homes after a federal moratorium on evictions expired. The Hogan Administration is also providing federal community development block grants to the state’s 24 local jurisdictions to prevent evictions.

The program is limited to rental units in building financed by DHCD. Applications for the program will be accepted until July 31 — however, the portal may close before then if grant requests exceed available funding, according to the department.

“Our administration will continue to do everything we can to help Marylanders weather this storm, get back on their feet, and recover,” Hogan said in a statement.

At least 290,000 households are unable to pay rent and at risk of eviction in the state, according to data from Stout, a Chicago-based consulting firm. State lawmakers remained skeptical last month that the $30 million in federal funds Governor Larry Hogan allocated to help renters would be enough to match a potential statewide eviction crisis.

Montgomery County Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins says the funding Hogan is allocating to these programs is insufficient.

“The governor has the ability to take additional robust actions such as extending his prohibition on evictions until next year and banning rent increases statewide,” Wilkins said.

Hogan maintains that his March 16 order banning evictions due to a tenant’s inability to pay because of COVID-19 remains in place for the duration of the state of emergency. The District Court of Maryland has delayed hearings on failure to pay rents until August 31.