METHUEN — The former site of the Beauty Garden Spa will now be home to a center to serve survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
The business previously housed at 5 Wallace St. was closed down last year by city inspectors and law enforcement agents who said it was a front for a human sex trafficking operation. At least one person was charged as a result of the police investigation into the enterprise.
Now the vacated building is being repurposed by the YWCA Northeastern Massachusetts to help people in need of domestic violence and sexual assault support, according to a joint press release from the YWCA and the city of Methuen.
The center, which will be a space for victims to meet with counselors and advocates, is set to open Oct. 2.
YWCA of Northeastern Massachusetts Director of Advancement Nicole Sammartino said the organization was searching for a building in Methuen and stumbled upon the property by happenstance, initially unaware of its history.
After the human trafficking crackdown, the building was seized and auctioned off. The YWCA will lease the building from its new owner, according to Sammartino.
They have a unique opportunity to recreate it.
“We can kind of rewrite that narrative of that location. We call them survivors and not victims for a reason,” Sammartino said in an interview.
In the press release she said they will “use the 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.”
Two or three victim advocates will work from the location. Advocates assist survivors with navigating the court system and help connect them with resources, among other roles.
The Beauty Garden Spa was shut down amid a larger crackdown on suspected human trafficking last fall. The city also launched a human trafficking task force that is still in operation.
“Human trafficking remains an ongoing threat here and in communities across America, and our work is far from finished,” Mayor D.J. Beauregard said in the press release. “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.”
The YWCA operates domestic violence and sexual assault hotlines. Call the sexual assault hotline at 877-509-9922, or the domestic violence hotline at 844-372-9922.