Many "reliable" providers require references.  As a newbie, I don't have any (actually tried once through agency and kind of ripped off).  What are the best and fast ways to get references?  Can you recommend any good providers in houston area who put less emphasis on references?

This is what I did.................

I saw a couple of providers who did not require references then went onto the ones I wanted to see that require references.  I let the providers know if I'm going to use them as a reference befor hand so they know(remind them with a call or email).  Also, keep track of the date that you saw them.

Hope this helps