Volunteers in Wake and Orange counties are registering the homeless as part of a national campaign to find 100,000 homes for the homeless by 2013.
They are going out in the early mornings and late evenings to register people living on the streets and also give them food, toiletries and a blanket.
NBC-17 followed a team that was looking through a homeless camp near New Hope Road in Raleigh on Monday morning.
"We found a lot of empty camps probably because of the weather," said volunteer Lester Clay.
Clay decided to volunteer because the issue hits home for him.
"I was actually homeless at one point myself," said Clay. "It's a strive to get back to a point of life that you enjoyed living."
Another volunteer in his group has a similar story. Ramone Promise was homeless after the tornadoes hit last spring.
"It's amazing being able to take the people and show them there is a better way and a way out," said Promise.
Once volunteers in Raleigh are done canvassing the streets, they meet up at the safety shelter where organizers are collecting the information.
"Our goal is to identify the services they need as well as the housing they need," said Ruth Peebles, executive director of the Wake County Partnership to End Homelessness.
Organizers say there are nearly 2,000 homeless in the Triangle and last year 40 people died.
Volunteers found out it can happen to anyone.
"We found people of all ages, all walks of life," said volunteer, Tianna Terry. "I actually interviewed a woman that had her BSN in nursing and she's been homeless now for seven years."
Volunteers will continue registering the homeless through Thursday.
The goal of registry week is to create a by name and by picture registry of the homeless population.
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