Jacqueline S. Homan was born in Philadelphia, PA into chronic, generational poverty. Orphaned and homeless at 13, she struggled to survive in America's permanent underclass. She graduated from college with a Bachelor's degree in mathematics as a non-traditional aged student at the age of 34, the very first in her family to graduate from high school and college. Her speaking engagements include the October 2009 international human rights conference in London, UK.
She is also involved with CAUS (Citizens Against Utility Shut-offs) and various other poor people's human rights campaigns.