If you lived in my town you would have a job tomorrow. No work history, no references. Employers here cannot find enough people to work. Not glamorous jobs mind you, but jobs nevertheless.
If it is so different in your town, I think you should go to your local government's employment and training folks. They keep in touch with many private employers who are not picky about people's backgrounds. I think you should also visit a temp agency, or more than one. Tell them you cannot pass traditional background checks because of a checkered work history but that you are ready, willing and able to do any job they refer you to.
There are so many people in your shoes TWTOM and they are gainfully employed in jobs that need to be done. Then, when you have track record going, your trajectory only goes up.
There are employers now - an ever-increasing number of them - that employ only people with felony criminal records. I am not ready to buy into the notion that you are totally unemployable.