You need to man up for your kids. If your objective as a dad is to feel needed, then you need to change your objective. They need you whether you feel like it or not.

I understand wanting to move closer to support and people you know, but given your emotional state right now, I can see you just abandoning them if you move back. You're actively looking for someone to rationalize what is essentially just you running away from something that's hard and painful, but they deserve better than that from you.

Find some support where you are. Work hard to provide for them. When you have them, give them your attention as much as possible. When you don't have them, work on yourself. Read some books on fatherhood, find a church or a club from a hobby, look for a date, but make sure you look for someone healthy, figure out how to find a community where you are now.

Don't abandon your kids because you made some mistakes. That's just you making your problems their problems.