The heart of Skid Row has stopped beating. Shirley Raines, the TikTok sensation who proved that “broken people are still useful,” has passed away at 58. From providing high-end beauty treatments to the homeless to being named a CNN Hero, “Ms. Shirley” changed the face of activism forever. WATCH the moving tribute to the woman who gave hope to the hopeless and see why the world is mourning a true angel of the streets.
The nonprofit visionary and “Ms. Shirley” to millions leaves behind a legacy of “immeasurable impact” for Los Angeles’ most vulnerable residents.
Shirley Raines, a digital content architect and nonprofit visionary who consecrated her existence to caring for individuals experiencing homelessness, has died, her organization Beauty 2 The Streetz announced Wednesday. She was 58.
Raines was recognized as “Ms. Shirley” by her more than 5 million TikTok adherents and by the individuals who regularly assembled for the meals, aesthetic treatments, and sanitation supplies she delivered to Los Angeles’ Skid Row and other homeless communities across California and Nevada. Raines’ life exerted a “fathomless influence,” Beauty 2 The Streetz expressed on social media.
“Through her relentless championing, profound empathy, and steadfast commitment, she utilized her influential media platform to highlight the voices of those in distress and to provide dignity, assets, and optimism to some of the most marginalized communities,” the organization declared. The nature of her passing was not disclosed, though the group indicated it would provide further details when they become available.
Raines was a mother of six children. One son passed away as a toddler—an ordeal that left her a “profoundly fractured individual,” Raines remarked in 2021 when she was honored as CNN’s Hero of the Year. “It’s vital you understand that broken people are still remarkably effective,” she stated during the CNN tribute ceremony.
That deep heartache prompted her to start assisting homeless citizens. “I would prefer to have him back more than anything on earth, but I am a mother without a son, and there are numerous people on the streets who are without a mother,” she explained. “And I feel it’s an equitable trade—I’m here for them”.
Raines launched her work with unhoused populations in 2017. This Monday, Raines shared a clip recorded from within her vehicle as she distributed lunches to a queue of people gathered outside her window. She welcomed her clients with genuine fervor and respect, addressing them as “King” or “Queen”.
One individual informed her he had successfully secured an apartment. “God is good! Look at you!” Raines countered, her characteristic brightness intensifying. In a recording shared two weeks prior, she surrendered her own footwear to a barefoot youngster waiting for food, shielding the child’s feet from the freezing ground.
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California’s homelessness emergency is particularly evident in downtown Los Angeles, where hundreds of individuals reside in temporary dwellings that line entire sections of the infamous district known as Skid Row. Shelters frequently emerge on the sidewalk near City Hall, and encampments are increasingly located in residential zones under highway bridges. A 2025 assessment determined that approximately 72,000 individuals were unhoused on any given evening throughout Los Angeles County.
Crushow Herring, art director of the Sidewalk Project, described Raines as both affectionate and fiercely protective of the homeless population. The Sidewalk Project utilizes art and community empowerment initiatives to assist people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. “I’ve been receiving inquiries all day from people—not just residents of Skid Row, but Angelenos who are devastated” by Raines’ passing, Herring noted. “To witness the labor she performed, and how people eagerly awaited her arrival? It was a magnificent calling. What most individuals require is simply feeling pride in themselves, because if they look better, they feel better”.
Raines would frequently provide people on the street with roles working alongside her as she offered haircuts or distributed necessities, Herring added. “By the time a year or two passes, they’re part of the collective—they have accountability, they have something to anticipate,” he remarked. “She consistently had people surrounding her who were encouraging, charitable, and courteous to community members”.
Melissa Acedera, founder of Polo’s Pantry, remembered joining Raines every Saturday to provide food when Beauty 2 The Streetz was beginning its journey. Raines kept track of people’s birthdays and made a specific effort to contact transgender and queer individuals who were often on the fringes of Skid Row, she noted. “It’s difficult not to envision Shirley when I’m there,” Acedera said.
In 2025, Raines was distinguished as the NAACP Image Award Recipient for Outstanding Social Media Personality. Other digital influencers celebrated her legacy and expressed their own sadness online Wednesday. “Ms. Shirley was truly the finest of us, love personified,” wrote Alexis Nikole Nelson, a foraging expert and online creator known as “blackforager”.
