Shirley Raines

Shirley Raines was the founder of Beauty 2 the Streetz, a nonprofit organization that provides haircuts, manicures, meals, and love to the homeless population of Los Angeles's Skid Row. Every week, Raines and her volunteers set up salon stations on the sidewalk and offered unhoused people not just basic services but dignity — washing hair, painting nails, listening to stories, and reminding people that they were seen, valued, and beautiful. She was named CNN's Hero of the Year in 2021.

Born in Tennessee, Raines experienced homelessness and hardship herself as a young woman. She worked as a hair and makeup artist before founding Beauty 2 the Streetz in 2017, initially as an informal effort to bring beauty services to Skid Row. The organization grew through social media, and Raines's warmth, humor, and unapologetic love for people society had discarded resonated with millions.

Raines's approach was radical in its simplicity: she believed that before you could help someone with housing, employment, or addiction, you had to help them feel human again. A haircut and a manicure weren't frivolous — they were essential. She expanded Beauty 2 the Streetz to provide tents, sleeping bags, clothing, meals, and referrals to social services. She joined the ancestors in January 2026, leaving behind an organization and a philosophy that proved the most powerful social program in the world is being treated like you matter.