It sounds like you are going to have to leave your area for the time being. That does mean something like flipping burgers while getting into a better job. It may take a year of going to work, coming home, working a few hours at finding another job or attending classes, eating going to sleep and repeating the same schedule. You might even have to take two dead end jobs for a short while to pay the rent and gas. Food stamps will work to stretch your budget while you get on your feet.
It does stink, but it will only be temporary. I have done it twice now. Once due to divorce and once due to failing health. My grandad got his world turned upside down in WWII when because of his national origin he was sent to the concentration camps here in the States and he lost his job, his home and his tools, After the war he recovered by working two jobs initially. Then in mid life his shop was burned out due top a careless workman. Finally, in his 70s he had to start all over because cancer wiped out all of his savings and property. When he died twenty some years later, his house was paid off and his modest collection of upholstery tools was free and clear. Not bad for a man that supported a family of twelve in his early years.
No one likes to start over in a strange town in a strange state, but you will have to go where the jobs are. Competing against able bodies in a local economy that does not need workers is a losing proposition.
I worked at a homeless shelter for a while as a live in house parent. I took the job because it provided a room, three squares a day and a chance to look for work when I had just moved into town. It was minimum wage. The statistics I learned there opened my eyes to why a dead end job can be so valuable. If you are out of work for 6 weeks, the chance of getting a job, any job, in the next 6 months is only 50%. If you are out of a job for 1 year then the chance is 30%. If you have a job of any description, then the chance of upgrading to another job in the next 6 months is over 90%. That is the reason they are called entry level jobs. No employer expects to keep employees long at this level of job.
If you cannot find work right now, then immeadiately go volunteer some time at a local charity. The Salvation Army, the After School Program, your church, whatever. This shows prospective employers that you are reliable and self motivated. Is it fair? No. Is it reality? Yes.
If you go to church, you might have your pastor contact a fellow church in a major town in your state. They might find someone that will put you up for 6 months or so while you are working at a new job or going to school. If you belong to a fraternal organization, check out the fellows there as they might be able to work the same deal for you.
Keep trying and work every angle that is presented to you, whether you like it or not. When you interview for a dead end job, don't tell them that you may not be able to take it for long. They will expect that, but will pass you by if you mention the longevity as they will worry that you might be setting them up for a baseless workman's compensation suit or discrimination suit. It is a common thing anymore and it makes it harder for honest workers to get employed.
Good luck.
