Stephanie Clark is an Ashland native and animal lover living at the intersection of disability, independence, and an ongoing search for belonging. Raised in Southern Oregon’s open landscapes, she carries deep ties to the mountains and her rural identity that shaped her, yet her understanding of “home” has evolved beyond physical place into something more fragile and essential: safety, connection, and the freedom to fully exhale. Though she has housing, Stephanie speaks candidly about feeling like a “lost floater” —someone still searching for where, and with whom, she truly belongs.
Stephanie’s life has been profoundly shaped by progressive vision loss, chronic pain, and increasing physical limitations, including the reality that she may eventually lose her sight completely. She speaks about her life with humor, resilience, and a kind of hard-earned determination—someone who keeps finding ways to adapt, rebuild, and continue forward without letting struggle define who she is. As she puts it, “Throughout my life I fall and things fall out of the basket, but I just gather what I can and keep going.” She hopes her visibility through The Home Project will normalize the quieter struggles of people navigating disability, grief, and isolation while continuing to move forward.
At the center of Stephanie’s world is Rosie, her former foster dog turned protector, companion, and surrogate family. Through caring for Rosie—a once-unhoused dog who, like Stephanie, needed safety and trust—Stephanie rediscovered routine, purpose, and confidence. Rosie helps her move through the world with greater security, easing anxiety while giving Stephanie a renewed sense of responsibility and home. Their bond reflects one of Stephanie’s deepest truths: that sometimes belonging is built not by where you live, but by who depends on you and walks beside you.
Beneath her humor, creativity, and love of belly dancing, roller skating, and nature is a woman grieving fractured family systems while still imagining new forms of chosen family and communal care. Stephanie longs not simply for survival, but for meaningful inclusion—a place where she can contribute, be useful, and be understood. Her story is one of visible and invisible perseverance: a woman confronting loss, health challenges, and uncertainty while continuing to seek beauty, friendship, and a deeper definition of home.
