Great idea for a thread... wish there had been something like this while I was enduring the rigors of unemployment. I recently found a job in the IT department of a small hospital in East Texas. I had been working for a local university, but we had a parting of the ways in the Spring, since they decided to downsize. I had worked here at the hospital on a part-time basis before taking the position with the university, and as luck would have it, the job I had vacated was coming open again. While it was only part-time (yuck), it was work, and they kept telling me that it had a really good chance of developing into something full-time. I stuck it out for several months, and then in October, I got the good news... SALARY AND BENEFITS!!! It's a little less than I was making at the university, but there is a lot less stress, so I see it as a net gain.
Like Scarpozzi said, you may have to spend some time in the trenches. It certainly isn't glorious, but it puts experience on your resume. That's the biggest priority, especially if you are just starting out in IT. Certs are good, but if you don't have the experience to back them up, they are just paper to most employers. I'm CCNA, and haven't touched a router since I got certified... no real world experience. That's the kicker. You have to have experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience.
I can tell you from personal experience that there is hope. I was completely devastated when I lost my job. I was lucky. It only took me 6 months to find a new job in my field. I know there are some out there that have been dealing with it a lot longer. Just hang on. Best of luck to all those searching.