Homeless Advocate Shirley Raines, Founder of Beauty 2 The Streetz, Dies at 58

Homeless Advocate Dies at 58

Shirley Raines, a social media creator and nonprofit founder who dedicated her work to people experiencing homelessness, has died at the age of 58, according to her organization Beauty 2 The Streetz. The organization announced her death on Wednesday. Beauty 2 The Streetz stated that Raines' cause of death has not been released and said additional information would be shared when it becomes available.

Work With Homeless Communities in California and Nevada

Raines was widely known as “Ms. Shirley” to more than 5 million followers on TikTok and to people who received services from her in homeless communities. She regularly brought food, beauty treatments, and hygiene supplies to people living on Los Angeles' Skid Row and to other homeless communities in California and Nevada. She began working with homeless communities in 2017.

Beauty 2 The Streetz wrote that Raines' life made what it described as an “immeasurable impact.” The organization said that through her advocacy, compassion, and commitment, she used her media platform to amplify the voices of people in need and to provide dignity, resources, and hope to underserved populations.

Recent Outreach Activities

On Monday, shortly before her death was announced, Raines posted a video recorded from inside her car as she handed out lunches to a line of people standing outside her passenger window. In the video, she greeted people with terms such as “King” and “Queen.” During that interaction, one man told her he had been able to get into an apartment, and she responded, “God is good! Look at you!”

In another video posted two weeks earlier, Raines gave her shoes to a barefoot child who was waiting for a meal. The shoes protected the child's feet from the chilly asphalt.

Personal Background and Recognitions

Raines had six children. One of her sons died as a toddler. In 2021, when she was named CNN's Hero of the Year, she described herself as having been left “a very broken woman” by that loss. During the award ceremony, she said, “It's important you know that broken people are still very much useful.” She also said that she was “a mother without a son,” and that many people on the street were “without a mother,” adding, “I feel like it's a fair exchange — I'm here for them.”

In 2025, Raines received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Social Media Personality.

Reactions From Community Partners

Crushow Herring, art director of the Sidewalk Project, said he had been receiving calls from people who live in Skid Row and other residents of Los Angeles who were shocked by Raines' death. He said Raines would often give people on the street positions working with her as she provided haircuts or handed out goods. According to Herring, after a year or two, those individuals could become part of the organization with responsibilities and something to look forward to. He said she kept people around her who were motivational, generous, and polite to community members. The Sidewalk Project uses art and peer empowerment programs to help people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.

Melissa Acedera, founder of Polo's Pantry, said she joined Raines every Saturday to distribute food when Beauty 2 The Streetz was first starting. Acedera said Raines remembered people's birthdays and made an effort to reach out to transgender and queer people who were often on the outskirts of Skid Row.

Social media creator and foraging educator Alexis Nikole Nelson, known online as “blackforager,” wrote that “Ms. Shirley was truly the best of us, love incarnate,” in an online post responding to the news of Raines' death.

Conditions in Los Angeles County

California’s homelessness crisis is described as especially visible in downtown Los Angeles, particularly in Skid Row, where hundreds of people live in makeshift shanties along several blocks. Tents also appear on the pavement outside City Hall, and encampments are found in suburban areas under freeway overpasses. A 2025 survey found that about 72,000 people were homeless on any given night across Los Angeles County.