Shirley Raines - An Angel Bringing Beauty and Dignity to the Homeless
Photo: Robertas Lisickis - Bored Panda
There are some people in life that find their purpose through painful life experiences. Shirley Raines, from Compton, California, is one of those people. In 1990, her 2 year old son died from an accidental poisoning while he was with his grandmother. The loss of her son left her with overwhelming grief and despair, but through her pain she managed to find a way to pick herself up and do positive things with her life. She realized that she needed to take care of herself, and in doing that, she started to become interested in hair makeup, and being a stylist. She caught the attention of many people who admired her hair, makeup and her uplifting personality. She became part of her church group that went on feeding missions on Skid Row in Los Angeles, CA. It was through that experience that she found her purpose. Her and her children started going to Skid Row to deliver food, personal supplies, and beauty supplies that she paid for herself. Many of the homeless people she frequently met in her visits to Skid Row loved her hair and makeup so much that she then decided to start giving full makeovers to her new found friends on Skid Row. She started an Instagram page titled "Beauty 2
the Streetz", and she would post pictures and videos of the work she was doing on Skid Row to help the homeless. That prompted many different people and companies in the hair, beauty, and makeup industry to want to join in her journey to give the homeless a sense of pride and motivation.
I first saw Shirley Raines on CNN Heroes 2021. This was the year she won the CNN Hero of the year award. I was so moved by her story, and the beautiful and caring person she was, in spite of all that she had been through. It was beautiful to see how very happy she made so many homeless people feel. They could feel good about themselves again. Just because you are homeless, doesn't mean you should not be made to feel valued. The services she provides for the homeless can help them to find employment, housing and other services they so desperately need. So many people believe that homeless people are just drug addicts and alcoholics, but the truth is that many people find themselves homeless because they lost a job, or their rent or mortgage became unaffordable. There are some homeless people that live on the streets that have a job, but can't afford the high rents so they are forced to live on the street or in their cars.
Ms. Raines registered Beauty 2 the Streetz as a non-profit organization in 2019. She has since won Outstanding Social Media Personality at the 56th Annual NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors in 2025. It was so inspiring to see her dedication to her work, no matter how tired she was. Her story is a lesson to us all that just because life throws us curves, doesn't mean you should give up on life. Shirley Raines should help you to realize that in your valley in life, sometimes reaching out to help others less fortunate than you can be just what you need to get back up. The world is a better place because of Shirley Raines, and I hope what she has accomplished will inspire others to do good things in this world.
"The only time that we are allowed to look down upon others, is when we are offering to help them up."
Pope Francis
Social Media Personality at the 56th NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors
Sources:
Beauty 2 the Streetz
https://b2ts.org/
The Hi Lo on You Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-0pD2nzj8Y&t=13s
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Raines_(non-profit_founder)
the Streetz", and she would post pictures and videos of the work she was doing on Skid Row to help the homeless. That prompted many different people and companies in the hair, beauty, and makeup industry to want to join in her journey to give the homeless a sense of pride and motivation.
I first saw Shirley Raines on CNN Heroes 2021. This was the year she won the CNN Hero of the year award. I was so moved by her story, and the beautiful and caring person she was, in spite of all that she had been through. It was beautiful to see how very happy she made so many homeless people feel. They could feel good about themselves again. Just because you are homeless, doesn't mean you should not be made to feel valued. The services she provides for the homeless can help them to find employment, housing and other services they so desperately need. So many people believe that homeless people are just drug addicts and alcoholics, but the truth is that many people find themselves homeless because they lost a job, or their rent or mortgage became unaffordable. There are some homeless people that live on the streets that have a job, but can't afford the high rents so they are forced to live on the street or in their cars.
Ms. Raines registered Beauty 2 the Streetz as a non-profit organization in 2019. She has since won Outstanding Social Media Personality at the 56th Annual NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors in 2025. It was so inspiring to see her dedication to her work, no matter how tired she was. Her story is a lesson to us all that just because life throws us curves, doesn't mean you should give up on life. Shirley Raines should help you to realize that in your valley in life, sometimes reaching out to help others less fortunate than you can be just what you need to get back up. The world is a better place because of Shirley Raines, and I hope what she has accomplished will inspire others to do good things in this world.
"The only time that we are allowed to look down upon others, is when we are offering to help them up."
Pope Francis
Social Media Personality at the 56th NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors
Sources:
Beauty 2 the Streetz
https://b2ts.org/
The Hi Lo on You Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-0pD2nzj8Y&t=13s
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Raines_(non-profit_founder)