Shirley Raines Dedicated Her Life to the Homeless — What Was Her Net Worth?

During the beginning of yet another unprecedented year, social media users worldwide came together to mourn the loss of Shirley "Ms. Shirley" Raines. Ms. Shirley gained millions of followers by humanizing unhoused people living in Los Angeles, Calif. Her organization, Beauty 2 The Streetz, distributes resources to LA's Skid Row, one of the most impoverished areas in the U.S.

Ms. Shirley's dedication to making the people society often overlooks feel beautiful was her life's work and eventually made her famous. Here's what to know about what her net worth was at the time of her death.

The exact amount of Ms. Shirley's net worth is unknown, though we have some stats about what her organization was worth around the time of her death. According to ProPublica, Beauty 2 the Streetz's revenue in 2024 was $1.2 million. Additionally, the org's total assets were reported as $772,000. She also earned $100,000 in grant funding after being named CNN Hero of the Year in 2021.

Ms. Shirley also didn't discuss her finances or Beauty 2 the Streetz's earnings when she was alive. However, she had been open about using her own earnings to provide resources for her community since the organization's inception. During her 2024 interview with Fashion, Ms. Shirley found her calling by becoming a "hood stylist" for unhoused people she fed while volunteering with a local church, after they complimented her makeup.

"I’d respond: ‘You want me to do your hair and makeup? Because I can; I’m a ‘hood stylist,’” she said while laughing.

Ms. Shirley said she used her Sephora Beauty Insider Rewards and her own money to provide makeup from the dollar store. However, when she decided to take on Beauty 2 the Streetz full-time, she used her social media following to acquire donations for more supplies. Since its inception, the organization has received donations from Thrive Causemetics, Unilever, Haus Labs and Fenty Beauty.

Ms. Shirley's idea to bring humanity to people living on Skid Row became a movement inspired by her own heartbreak. When she was in her 20s, the Compton native and former gang member became unhoused and pregnant with her son, Demetrius. Demetrius tragically died when he was 3, and Ms. Shirley used makeup to mask her pain. “If I drew my eyebrows high enough, nobody could tell I was frowning,” she recalled. "If my eyes were red from applying eyeliner, no one would know I’d actually been crying.”

With the help of her twin sister, Sheila, Ms. Shirley found her calling through volunteering, which became the catalyst for Beauty 2 the Streetz. Her legacy lives on through the organization, and the org's team shared how much she was loved and will be missed by her community.

"Ms. Shirley dedicated her life to serving others and made an immeasurable impact on homeless communities throughout Los Angeles and Nevada," Beauty 2 the Streetz's Instagram post confirming Ms. Shirley's death read. "Through her tireless advocacy, deep compassion, and unwavering commitment, she used her powerful media platform to amplify the voices of those in need and to bring dignity, resources, and hope to some of the most underserved populations."

"This loss is devastating to the entire Beauty 2 The Streetz team, the communities we serve, and the countless individuals whose lives were forever changed by Ms. Shirley’s love, generosity, and selfless service," the post continued. "Her legacy will continue to live on through the work she started and the hearts she touched."