City of Methuen and YWCA Announce Opening of Women’s Empowerment Facility at Former Human Trafficking Site

METHUEN — The basement where victims of human trafficking were once forced to live will soon become a place where women subjected to sexual assault and domestic violence can escape and improve their lives. The YWCA Northeastern Massachusetts is opening a new Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services office in Methuen, creating a new resource for survivors and the broader community.

The City of Methuen and the YWCA of Northeastern Massachusetts announce that the former space used in an alleged human trafficking operation at 5 Wallace St., will now be used as a space for victims of sex crimes, domestic violence and human trafficking to meet with counselors and advocates, and to host workshops for survivors.

The YWCA is working together with local government, law enforcement, community organizations, advocates and residents to mark the opening and celebrate the transformation of the property. YWCA, a non-profit agency with a primary mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. Now, the YWCA is intentionally changing the story of the space.

“This community has an opportunity to look at this location differently,” said Maricelis Ortiz, CEO of the YWCA Northeastern Massachusetts. “We cannot change what happened here in the past. But we can absolutely change what happens here next. This is about more than opening an office, we are changing what this address means. A place that was once associated with exploitation is becoming a place of safety, advocacy, healing and hope.”

The renovated facility, which required extensive cleanup to rectify code violations, will open on Friday, Oct. 2, with a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m.

Community members and the media are invited to attend to celebrate this development. 

Methuen Police conducted undercover operations as part of a monthslong investigation into the former tenants of 5 Wallace St., and that investigated ended with the company’s owner facing human trafficking and prostitution charges last year. 

Shortly after that investigation concluded, the City of Methuen closed down several other local massage parlors and spas due to code violations, and formed the Methuen Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force remains active in Methuen and continues to inspect and investigate other facilities as they open or reopen. 

The YWCA plans to use the renovated facility as office space for sexual assault and domestic violence advocates, as a space for victims of sex crimes, domestic violence and human trafficking to meet with counselors and advocates, and as a place to host workshops for survivors. 

“We will be using this space to empower women and to give them their best chance at a new chapter in life that doesn’t involve violence or sexual exploitation,” said Nicole Sammartino, the YWCA of Northeastern Massachusetts’ Director of Advancement. 

“When we created the Methuen Human Trafficking Task Force, I promised that we would use every tool available to combat human trafficking in our city and support its survivors,” said Mayor D.J. Beauregard. “Human trafficking remains an ongoing threat here and in communities across America, and our work is far from finished. But today, one important part of this story has come full circle: a place where women were exploited will now be a place where survivors are protected and empowered to rebuild their lives. I could not be more grateful to the YWCA of Northeastern Massachusetts for transforming this address from a site associated with exploitation into a source of safety, healing, and hope.”