"If anyone had ever told me I'd ever be homeless, I would have looked at them like they were crazy," the 27-year-old said.

Terry Allebaugh, executive director of Durham's Housing for New Hope, reflected on Baker recently after a Raleigh man announced late last year he would live in his car for a week to publicize the plight of the homeless.

"I understand the attempt to gain publicity for an issue like homelessness, but ultimately, these efforts have limited value," Allebaugh said. "It's better to listen to people with the actual experience, to learn from them."

People like Baker.

The Ohio native lived in his car last year, not to raise awareness but because he had no other choice.

Baker was working as an analyst at General Electric when he decided to make a change and explore a career in sports management. He moved to North Carolina to take a semester-long program at the College Sports Research Institute at UNC.

Baker quickly established a strong relationship with a UNC professor, even paying rent and living with his family during the spring of 2010.

Although the professor invited Baker to stay as long as he needed, Baker was running out of money and believed he had imposed long enough. Baker told the professor that he had found another place to live, packed his car and moved out.

Slept in office

"At first I stayed in the office working, eventually falling asleep. No one knew I was doing that," Baker said. "But then the institute switched offices and I couldn't stay there anymore. By June my program ended, and I was living in my car."

Baker felt trapped, unwilling to return to Ohio without his goals accomplished and too humiliated to turn to his professor for help.

"He had been so good to me, I felt like I couldn't ask for anything else," he said.

Baker lived in his car during the summer heat, bathing in a Shell station bathroom and searching for a job. Baker prayed several times a day to keep himself safe and to maintain confidence.

"I thank God every day that I had somewhere to wash up, and brush my teeth," he said. "I never looked like I was homeless, unshaven in raggedy clothes. People think all homeless people look like that, but it's not true."

Baker realized his situation was dire and explored his options. He discovered Housing for New Hope.

Needed income

Cynthia Harris has worked with the homeless for 15 years and has been a caseworker with Housing for New Hope for three years.

"He started calling me and calling me, checking in every week but we couldn't do anything for him until he had an income," Harris said. "We don't want to recreate homelessness by getting someone into a place they can't afford. We can offer referrals and link people to other community services, but to actually get into an apartment, I told James he needed to show me some income."

When he picked up temporary office work, Baker returned to Harris once more.

Harris recalled, "Then I needed to verify he was actually living in the car, so we sent a street team out and there it was, and there was so much stuff in that car.

" He was smart to park in a very well-off part of Durham where nobody bothered him."

"He was so embarrassed to be living in that car, but to him the shelter was worse, and he did not want to come in."

An apartment

A Housing for New Hope team eventually convinced Baker the Urban Ministries of Durham shelter was the safest place for him.

For two months there, he took classes on how to budget, stay on good terms with an employer, and maintain a house.

Through its network of landlords, community volunteers and partner agencies, Housing for New Hope found Baker an apartment and some furniture.

"People don't always think about what it actually takes to get a household started," Harris said. "It costs Housing for New Hope $2,500 every time we secure an apartment. You have to start up the lights, sometimes pay past balances on utility bills. The landlord needs the first month's rent and security deposit."

Even after a home is obtained, Housing for New Hope follows the client, ensuring they don't fall behind in rent.

"This year is so different," said Harris. "I thought I'd seen everything, but now we're getting calls from teachers, nurses, at least 15 calls a day for people in need of housing. These are working people. They have so much pride and are so embarrassed to be looking for our services."

According to the most recent count in Durham, homelessness of individuals is up by 26 percent and family homelessness has increased by 50 percent in the past year alone.

Often these new clients are not unemployed, but have endured salary cuts or unexpected crises, such as health care emergencies.

Today James Baker volunteers at Housing for New Hope, sharing his story. He took the LSAT in December and hopes to begin law school in the fall.

His ordeal of living on $4 a day worth of fast food and shaving behind a Dumpster is behind him.

"James has accepted a lot of responsibility in his life," Allebaugh said. "He's a very driven individual, willing to reach out for support and guidance. He really is an extraordinary person.

"Many people who experience homelessness still suffer from the emotional scars of the experience long after they've found permanent housing," he said. "James was able to get through this without internalizing that humiliation so many homeless people feel."