Mobile hair and beauty service provides makeovers for the soul in Skid Row
When you look good, it can help you feel good. And that goes for anyone. Beauty may be only skin-deep, but there's no denying that a skilled makeover can raise your spirits and give you a fresh outlook on life.
That's the premise on which Shirley Raines founded Beauty 2 the Streetz, a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving people without homes the opportunity to spruce up and feel better about themselves.
Watch the video to see Shirley and her team give makeovers to the poor of Los Angeles.
"I call it a spiritual CPR," Raines says. "You know, a lot of people want to save the body, but there's no body if there's no spirit. If the spirit dies, there goes the body. And a lot of times, you're watching these people in skid row, and they're walking around like zombies because their spirit is dead. We're applying CPR to their spirit. We're telling them to breathe. We're telling them to hold on. You know, we're trying to get that heartbeat back that the world has taken away."
To lift the spirits of the down-at-heel in the skid row district of Los Angeles, Shirley has assembled an army of volunteers made up of licensed hairstylists, barbers and makeup artists, plus catering and health care personnel. Their goal is simple: to offer haircuts, beauty treatments and a hot meal to the city's homeless population every week, come rain, hail or shine.
"Every single Saturday we take care of over 500 people," Raines says. "And on Tuesdays, I go out solo and take care of over 350 people. I drop food off to the back streets of Los Angeles. I haven't forgotten them. I work with the Refresh station, which provides showers and a place for the homeless to wash their clothes. We partner with a lot of people in the skid row area to make sure that the community is fed. We are just grateful to be in this position to do so."
Shirley's goodwill mission was born out of a personal tragedy. Thirty years ago, she lost her 3-year-old son in an accident. For a long time, the heartbreak overwhelmed her. By her own admission, it made her a bitter human being and a less-than-perfect mom to her other children. Naturally, she longed to be rid of the pain. But it took some tough love from her twin sister to finally put her back on track.
"I think when I was 48, another anniversary was coming up," Raines says. "And I think I called my sister, and I was crying again. And she was like, 'OK, you've been doing this for almost 30 years. He would not want you to live like this. You've got to process through this.’ You know, she's like, ‘I'm sorry this happened to you, but you gotta find your purpose, Shirley.’"
Her sister's wise words were the wakeup call Raines needed. Though the grief would never leave her completely, she had to channel her energy in a positive way by finding a purpose. And at church one day, that purpose presented itself.
"Somebody at the church was bagging up canned food for the homeless," she says. "So, I helped them do that. And then they said, 'Hey, do you want to go with me to skid row?' And when I went, it was amazing. Like, I loved it! But the women were more interested in my hair and my makeup, and the LGBTQ community were like: ‘Oh, we love your earrings. We love your eyelashes.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, thank you, King. Thank you, queen.’"
It was a lightbulb moment for Shirley, who realized that while food and shelter might help homeless people survive, a little beautification could raise morale and help them thrive.
After several more visits, the idea for Beauty 2 the Streetz began to take shape. And now, five years on, her organization has become a beacon of light, dispensing TLC to thousands of homeless people.
"From my journey in my life, my traumas, and my tragedies, I realized things could not be fixed overnight," Raines says. "You know, life is not a hallmark greeting card. (But) we allow them to know that somebody cares about them. Despite the challenges that happen in the street. Despite what happened the night before, every time they show up in my line, even with tears, I think, ‘This is why I'm doing it, because they need to hold on.’ You know, things aren't getting better, but they're still holding on."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mobile hair salon provides food and makeovers to LA's Skid Row
