Shirley Raines, a social media creator and nonprofit founder who devoted her life to caring for folks experiencing homelessness, has died, her group Magnificence 2 The Streetz mentioned Wednesday. She was 58.
Raines was generally known as “Ms. Shirley,” to her greater than 5 million TikTok followers and to the individuals who frequently lined up for the meals, magnificence therapies and hygiene provides she dropped at Los Angeles’ Skid Row and different homeless communities in California and Nevada.
Raines’ life made an “immeasurable influence,” Magnificence 2 The Streetz wrote on social media.
“Via her tireless advocacy, deep compassion, and unwavering dedication, she used her highly effective media platform to amplify the voices of these in want and to convey dignity, sources, and hope to among the most underserved populations,” the group mentioned.
Raines’ reason behind loss of life was not launched, however the group mentioned it might share further info when it’s obtainable.
Raines had six youngsters. One son died as a toddler — an expertise that left her a “very damaged lady,” Raines mentioned in 2021 when she was named CNN’s Hero of the 12 months.
“It’s vital that damaged individuals are nonetheless very a lot helpful,” she mentioned throughout the CNN award ceremony.
That deep grief led her to start serving to the homeless.
“I’d somewhat have him again than something on this planet, however I’m a mom and not using a son, and there are lots of people on the street which can be and not using a mom,” she mentioned. “And I really feel prefer it’s a good trade — I’m right here for them.”
Raines started working with homeless communities in 2017. On Monday, Raines posted a video shot from inside her automotive as she handed out lunches to a line of individuals standing outdoors her passenger window. She greeted her shoppers with heat enthusiasm and respect, calling them “King,” or “Queen.”
One man instructed her he was in a position to get into an house.
“God is nice! Have a look at you!” Raines replied, her typical cheerfulness stepping up a notch. In a video posted two weeks earlier, she handed her footwear to a barefoot baby who was ready for a meal, defending the woman’s ft from the chilly asphalt.
California’s homelessness disaster is particularly seen in downtown Los Angeles, the place tons of of individuals reside in makeshift shanties that line whole blocks within the infamous neighborhood generally known as Skid Row. Tents frequently pop up on the pavement outdoors Metropolis Corridor. Encampments are more and more present in suburban areas beneath freeway overpasses. A 2025 survey discovered that about 72,000 folks had been homeless on any given night time throughout Los Angeles County.
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Crushow Herring, the artwork director of the Sidewalk Challenge, mentioned Raines was each sentimental and protecting of the homeless neighborhood. The Sidewalk Challenge makes use of artwork and peer empowerment applications to assist folks experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.
“I’ve been getting calls all morning from folks, not simply who reside in Skid Row however Angelenos who’re shocked” by Raines’ loss of life, Herring mentioned. “To see the work she did, and the way folks couldn’t wait to see her come out? It was a fantastic mission. What most individuals want is simply feeling dignity about themselves, as a result of if they give the impression of being higher, they really feel higher.”
Raines would typically give folks on the road a place working together with her as she offered haircuts or handed out items, Herring mentioned.
“By the point a yr or two goes by, they’re a part of the group — they’ve duty, they’ve one thing to look ahead to,” he mentioned. “She all the time had folks round her that had been motivational, and beneficiant and well mannered to neighborhood members.”
In 2025, Raines was named the NAACP Picture Award Winner for Excellent Social Media Character. Different social media creators lauded her work and shared their very own grief on-line Wednesday.
“Ms. Shirley was actually the perfect of us, love incarnate,” wrote Alexis Nikole Nelson, a foraging educator and social media creator generally known as “blackforager.”
“In shock,” wrote Upworthy. “Thanks for lifting so many up. Could you relaxation in peace and energy.”
