Tara Jackson sits alone in a sliver of shade on a bench that overlooks downtown Dallas, the concrete shadow of the city’s convention center shrinking as the afternoon heat pushes 104 degrees.

She wonders how she’ll escape.

Next to her is everything. A backpack with spare clothing and three prayer books in the main pocket, a toothbrush and travel-sized shampoo bottle in the front. On the bench is a half-eaten box of peanut butter crackers that someone bought her this morning and a 25-cent QuikTrip cup of water nearing its final sips.

Every day is the same challenge for the 49-year-old South Dallas woman. Find bus fare. Find food. Find work. But this time of year, the pressing heat of another Texas summer makes a stark demand: Find a permanent escape from life on the streets.

There aren’t many people outside today. Drivers pass by on their way to lunch with the AC on full blast, while nearby office workers stay in brisk buildings.

Years ago, on a hot day like this, Jackson did the same.

She said she studied music in college. She held multiple jobs, from bank teller to customer service to truck driver. But six years ago, credit card debt and medical bills led her to file for bankruptcy. Her Oak Cliff home was foreclosed on. She lived in her 1997 Toyota Camry for a couple years, and after more struggles, found herself on the streets. She doesn't like the shelters. Last night, she slept on a slab of concrete in Oak Cliff.

This is her fourth summer without a home. By now, she knows how to endure. Her gray curls hide behind a snug Dri Sweat skull cap, topped by a charcoal flat cap. She wears a light jacket, which protects her skin from the sun, and drinks at least two liters of water from her cup, refilling it at restaurants.

Afternoons are spent at the Dallas Public Library. The AC clears her mind. She’ll read books about different cultures and languages, then find a computer and look for jobs. She’s held temporary ones here and there. She’s not picky. Anything that will allow her to start saving again.

1 / 3Tara Jackson of Dallas looks for her ID card as she takes a break from the heat. When it gets too hot and the shade fades away, she makes her way to Central Library to find relief.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer) 2 / 3Tara Jackson likes to read books about different cultures and languages at the Dallas Central Library, where air-conditioning provides an oasis in the summer heat.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer) 3 / 3She wears a light jacket to protect her skin from the sun despite the heat. Weekend temperatures are projected to hit 110 degrees. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

When the heat climbs to 100 degrees, she meditates and focuses on her breathing. It’s not as hot as it seems, she’ll tell herself. She picks tranquil places to sit, like this one, overlooking a park of trees, listening to the birds and rushes from a nearby fountain.

But now, the sun has crept closer and closer to her island of shade. She wipes the beads of sweat gathering on her upper lip and decides it’s too hot to be outside, and will be for the foreseeable future. Weekend temperatures could hit 110 degrees.

“It won’t be like this all the time,” she says, zipping her backpack before walking to the library. Away from the heat, away from the streets.