Shirley Raines, a social media creator and nonprofit founder who devoted her life to caring for individuals experiencing homelessness, has died, her group Magnificence 2 The Streetz mentioned Wednesday. She was 58.
Raines was often called “Ms. Shirley,” to her greater than 5 million TikTok followers and to the individuals who usually lined up for the meals, magnificence remedies and hygiene provides she delivered to Los Angeles’ Skid Row and different homeless communities in California and Nevada.
Raines’ life made an “immeasurable affect,” Magnificence 2 The Streetz wrote on social media.
“By means of 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 a number of the most underserved populations,” the group mentioned.
Raines’ reason for demise was not launched, however the group mentioned it might share extra data when it’s accessible.
Raines had six youngsters. One son died as a toddler — an expertise that left her a “very damaged girl,” Raines mentioned in 2021 when she was named CNN’s Hero of the 12 months.
“It’s essential you recognize that damaged persons are nonetheless very a lot helpful,” she mentioned in the course of the CNN award ceremony.
That deep grief led her to start serving to the homeless.
“I’d moderately have him again than something on the earth, however I’m a mom and not using a son, and there are lots of people on the street which might be and not using a mom,” she mentioned. “And I really feel prefer it’s a good change — I’m right here for them.”
Raines started working with homeless communities in 2017. On Monday, Raines posted a video shot from inside her automobile as she handed out lunches to a line of individuals standing exterior her passenger window. She greeted her purchasers with heat enthusiasm and respect, calling them “King,” or “Queen.”
One man advised her he was in a position to get into an condo.
“God is sweet! Have a look at you!” Raines replied, her standard 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 lady’s toes from the chilly asphalt.
California’s homelessness disaster is particularly seen in downtown Los Angeles, the place tons of of individuals dwell in makeshift shanties that line whole blocks within the infamous neighborhood often called Skid Row. Tents usually pop up on the pavement exterior Metropolis Corridor. Encampments are more and more present in suburban areas underneath freeway overpasses. A 2025 survey discovered that about 72,000 individuals had been homeless on any given evening throughout Los Angeles County.
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Crushow Herring, the artwork director of the Sidewalk Mission, mentioned Raines was each sentimental and protecting of the homeless neighborhood. The Sidewalk Mission makes use of artwork and peer empowerment applications to assist individuals experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.
“I’ve been getting calls all morning from individuals, not simply who dwell in Skid Row however Angelenos who’re shocked” by Raines’ demise, Herring mentioned. “To see the work she did, and the way individuals couldn’t wait to see her come out? It was an important 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 individuals on the road a place working along with her as she offered haircuts or handed out items, Herring mentioned.
“By the point a 12 months or two goes by, they’re a part of the group — they’ve accountability, they’ve one thing to look ahead to,” he mentioned. “She all the time had individuals 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 most effective of us, love incarnate,” wrote Alexis Nikole Nelson, a foraging educator and social media creator often called “blackforager.”
“In shock,” wrote Upworthy. “Thanks for lifting so many up. Might you relaxation in peace and energy.”
