The report by the Wake Housing and Homeless Coalition and the Council to End Homelessness in Durham found the number of homeless individuals and families has increased by 50 percent since 1999.
Wake County's homeless population is up 55 percent from three years ago. The number of homeless people in Durham is up 38 percent.
The groups doing the research said a struggling economy could be to blame.
In Raleigh, dozens of people packed a meeting Tuesday night about a new idea to help the homeless.
City council committee members met about a proposal to convert a motel on Wilmington Street into transitional housing for the homeless.
Both sides got information, but it could be weeks before a decision is made on the renovation.
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