LYNN – Help is on the way for local families struggling to stay afloat during tough economic times, courtesy of the United Way.A total of $1 million in emergency funding for basic needs is being distributed through a network of more than 25 organizations, including the Family and Children?s Service of Greater Lynn and Lynn Economic Opportunity, Inc. The Lynn centers are set to receive a total of $30,000 for rent or mortgage assistance and food needs to local families stuck in a financial crisis.Senior Director of Communications at United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley Meghan Keaney Anderson said a free and confidential hotline has been set up by United Bay called 2-1-1, which residents can call seven days a week, 24 hours a day to get information about services nearby that can help them.?It?s multi-lingual and comprehensive, so they can find help, even beyond the two organizations listed in the release earlier,” she said. “The helpline is designed to streamline the process of finding services. Because so often people have a number of interrelated needs n child-care, utility assistance, job training- it?s often easier to just make one call to 2-1-1 to get all the information you need.”