Ask HN: Laid off. Now what?

I was laid off from my job a couple of weeks ago. I was with the company for a bit more than 6 months and I thought I was doing my job well (wasn't coding much, was into middle management). It came as a surprise to me and my teammates too. Now, I want to go back to freelancing and work on some SaaS ideas on the side.

Problem is, It now seems impossible to find a project. I tried contacting some older clients but they don't have any work at the moment (or in near future). I posted in Seeking Work/Freelancer thread as well without any success. Tried various remote job portals and slack channels. No success there either. Had 1 enquiry and I lowered my hourly rates to less than half (from $100/hr to $40/hr) and still I couldn't get the project. I've got 12 years of experience writing code and I think what I asked was quite fair. Now I'm getting desperate for work and I've no clue what should I do next.

Going full-time is an option but I had a shoulder injury recently and I'm trying to minimize commuting as much as possible. Also, I feel I work better as a contractor and it keeps me happy.

What are your skills? Languages? Any information for people to hire you would be helpful.

Just speculating here... the US government shutdown could be having an effect on contract work. Even your lay off 2 weeks ago could be related. Timing seems to line up with the shutdown. Tons of contract work is from government spending.

Added

I would recommend using recruiters to find work for you, recruiters have a nice rooster of Employers that they can match you with.

Even better than using a recruiter use a site like Hired.com and vettery.com. These sites are great for matching you with interesting employers.

The best thing about the above options is that it gives you access to a lot employers, much more than you can find by searching on your own.

Note: these recruiters and sites can help you find freelance/contract work as well as regular employment.