This seems to be something people don’t always give second thought to. When people talk about the homeless, the first things thought about are images of people on busy city streets in rusty clothes waiting around near allies. In there, the answer is quite static, because it can be I guess. But if that’s the case, change the setting and that changes too. In the places where I’ve lived, people often needed that mapped out. Where are they known in your rural locales?
There’s a shelter a town over, and you rarely but occasionally see makeshift shelters by the power lines up the mountain a few minutes
Mostly in cars. The people that are marginally better-off have old RVs. The people who can’t afford wheels will hide a tent in the bushes. Vehicle or not, everyone seeks out similar places where they are unlikely to be noticed or hassled: lightly-used dirt roads on public land, parking areas at trailheads, closed campgrounds, behind abandoned businesses on the edge of town, etc.
There really aren’t any rural homeless. Most homeless people hang out in cities because resources are abundant in cities. They can be anonymous and live in the shadows among millions of people coming and going, they can dig in dumpsters, and beg strangers for money. Those are things you cannot do out in the countryside because there are no dumpsters and no millions of random people to mooch off of.
You say that like rural areas don’t have crop fields.
In all seriousness, I know enough about it to know it’s not too different. Dumpsters and trash cans can be found anywhere for example, though they’re not great sources of food in either place. I was once an anonymous rural example, but it’s for that reason one could look at me and say they don’t think we exist in rural areas. I was lucky enough though to couch hop. Others found solace under a local landmark, but not all rural areas have those, though they might have other things. I felt bad for one who asked me for a ride since I don’t drive.
Their cars. There were also a few staying in an abandoned building, but it burned down.
I live in Finland, so uh. There are none
How does that work in Finland, like you can just ask and boom they give you a roof?
There are many social programs, but the biggest one is “Expense assistance”, where the state will make sure you have minimum amount of money required for living after income. In practice it’s around 600-1000€,just enough for the cheapest rent and cheap food. However that’s all you need to get back on your feet.