Shirley Raines Was a Proud Mom of Six But Lost Her Son at a Young Age

When you talk about homelessness and advocating for the underrepresented, the name Shirley Raines is one you can’t help but mention. Since 2017, Shirley had been working with unhoused communities, focusing on one of Los Angeles’s areas with a large population of unhoused people, Skid Row. She even founded Beauty 2 The Streetz, a nonprofit created to give back to the unhoused through acts of service and goods.

If she wasn’t bagging and handing out food and snacks to the less fortunate, she was offering haircuts and other services to promote healthy hygiene.

Sadly, Shirley, or Ms. Shirley, as many called her, died suddenly at the end of January 2026. Her team shared the news on Beauty 2 The Streetz’s Instagram stories on Jan. 28. She leaves behind five children, though she had also welcomed a sixth earlier in her life. Here’s everything to know about them.

Shirley was a proud mom of six kids, one of whom died at a young age. Her remaining five children, Danielle, Rashawn, Dalvion, Macajiah, and Micah, were the ones she credited with “saving her life,” as she said during her 2021 speech for the CNN Hero of the Year award.

While Shirley was often featured on social media, handing out food and haircuts to the homeless and interacting with young kids in an effort to make a positive impact on underrepresented communities, her children were often by her side, helping her carry out her mission.

Many can only hope her children continue her legacy, carrying forward her nonprofit and helping those Shirley dedicated her life to uplifting.

Shirley was presumed to be in good health and on no medication when she abruptly passed away on Jan. 27, 2026, her twin sister Sheila told TMZ. She was found unresponsive beside her bed during a wellness check that evening.

While Shirley appeared healthy, she had openly discussed being a “broken woman” after the passing of her young son. “This journey has not been easy. I stand before you a very broken woman. My life will never be the same since my son died,” she said during her 2021 CNN speech after collecting her award.

Shirley lost one of her sons at just 2 years old when he accidentally ingested medicine, according to The Washington Post. Soon after, she also lost her grandmother, and it was the combination of these tragedies that led her to begin giving back to the homeless community in Skid Row.

Over the course of her generous efforts, Shirley was open about losing her young son. During her 2021 CNN speech, she admitted she “would rather have him back than anything in the world,” but also acknowledged that she was “a mother without a son” and that “there are a lot of people in the street that are without a mother.” She added, “And I feel like it’s a fair exchange — I’m here for them,” pointing out that “broken people are very much useful.”

And Shirley certainly was. She gave back in more ways than one, becoming a beacon of light for those in need and showing that even during a time of hardship, one can serve as a positive influence on others.