Having been a contract employee a specific agency for the past 14 years (I've recently terminated the contract after taking a full time position) if I may offer some opinions-
If you have specific interests, target those agencies that fulfill those interests
If you have specific skills that support those interests, market them
Look for a niche- in my case I had been employed by a 9-1-1 call center and decided to quit and contract back to them. I've done that for a couple of PSAPs. Trust me, there is a HUGE niche to fill by coupling GIS technologies and 9-1-1.
Don't sell yourself short; in other words, get paid! Volunteer work might make you feel better but it does not put a roof over your head or buy groceries.
Create a company or at least an LLC: separate yourself and personal assets from your business dealings.
Be persistent and don't give up. It isn't easy, but all you need to do is turn over the first rock and the rest get easier....
(YMMV)
That should just about do it....
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