Socioeconomic issues seem to be somewhat of a universal thing around the world. While most problems are localized, social and economic issues transcend borders, no matter how well-off a country is.
One of these problems is homelessness. In fact, it’s such a big deal that every country in the world has statistics on the matter, and there is a huge movement towards making homelessness a thing of the past.
History is full of amazing efforts to help those without a place to stay, with street artists shedding light on the issue and charities taking real action to alleviate the struggles of having no home.
Shirley Raines founded a non-profit that helps homeless to stay beautiful & to boost their confidence
Image credits: Shirley Raines
Everyone has their own take on helping push away the tide of homelessness, and every bit of it helps. Shirley Raines has been helping over 800 homeless people every Saturday on Skid Row, Los Angeles, by providing them with food, showers, beauty supplies, and makeovers.
Skid Row is a district in Los Angeles, California that is home to the largest homeless population to date in the United States. It is reported that over half of the entire district is homeless. The name “Skid Row” comes from the phrase “on the skids”, a logger term for transporting logs down roads of skids, which over time became a term for places where people with no money and nothing to do would gather.
Image credits: Shirley Raines
Image credits: Shirley Raines
Having grown up “in the hood,” and after losing a child, Raines decided to find a purpose in life. So, she went out into the streets and started feeding the homeless. Apparently, they turned out to be more interested in her hair color than the food she offered. It wasn’t long until she became “the makeup lady” among her newfound friends that she was helping.
Raines then founded a non-profit organization called Beauty 2 The Streetz. Every week, Raines and her team go to Skid Row with the aim of revitalizing hundreds of homeless people and restoring their hope in life and confidence in themselves.
Raines’ initiative currently helps 800 homeless each week in the Skid Row District, LA
Image credits: Shirley Raines
Image credits: Shirley Raines
The non-profit provides food, showers, hair wash and color, make-up, wigs, and, most importantly, human connection and a sense of belonging. They also spread awareness of the epidemic that has taken over the district and has existed throughout the entire country for ages.
Shirley Raines believes that things as common and as simple as makeup and hair showers help build up self-esteem. She continues to explain that when people are confident, they can do anything, with getting off the streets being their primary goal, and one of the hardest ones to achieve.
Image credits: Shirley Raines
Beauty 2 The Streetz provides food, showers, hair products, and friendship to hundreds of women
Image credits: Shirley Raines
While there is still a stigma that homeless people are usually alcoholics and drug addicts, that is not always the case. In Raines’ experience, many of them are homeless because they lost their jobs or fell ill and thus couldn’t make ends meet. Some of them even have jobs, but still can’t afford a home. Understanding what hardship is, Raines has now made it her life’s goal to help those in need using her talents.
The homeless don’t look all that homeless anymore after the Beauty 2 The Streetz crew is done with them. They go out into the world with a variety of hairstyles, including intricate braids, short cuts, and afros, sporting bright colored hair—blue, yellow, red, orange, or any other.
Image credits: Shirley Raines
Volunteers spend countless hours on their feet every Saturday to make sure the homeless look beautiful
Image credits: Shirley Raines
Raines is joined by Fighters for the World, a group of motorcyclists who strive to discover and meet the needs of the people within their community who could benefit from assistance, support, and gestures of kindness, as well as a recent investor Wings & Waffle Food Truck, who come around every Saturday to provide food to the homeless as part of Raines’ initiative.
In a video posted on her channel, Raines explained that there are people who say “beauty isn’t going to take them off the streets.” She gets that. But she explains that whenever the homeless see themselves in the mirror, they start to feel good, which leads to more confidence and thus doing better in life. They also get the human touch aspect along the way.
Here’s a snippet of what Saturdays look like in Skid Row, in collaboration with Laura Geller
Image credits: Shirley Raines
This isn’t the first time barbers take to the streets to fight homelessness. Bored Panda has also covered a story about a young barber who gives free haircuts to homeless people while battling his own addiction.
You can follow Raines and her team on her Instagram and can donate to the cause through their website by giving money or even sending some items from their Amazon Wishlist.
Got any feel-good stories of your own, or perhaps you’re a part of similar charity work? Why not share it with us in the comments below!
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