BOSTON (WHDH) - At the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, a crisis unfolds every single day.
Homelessness, drug addiction, and sex trafficking collide here – spinning a tangled web that traps so many people.
Emily Mackey was one of them.
“I was going through a pretty rough spot with my addiction,” said Mackey. “It was difficult to break away from it.”
Molly Johnston lived on Mass & Cass for a decade. She says she was used by people she trusted.
“In hindsight, I’m like ‘oh no that was my boyfriend. He really loved me.’ I was like ‘wait no, I was being trafficked,” said Johnston. “I felt, I feel like there’s no way out. This is it. This is what my life is going to be.”
But life changed for Mackey and Johnston, thanks to two women offering not just help, but hope.
Dr. Abigail Judge and Sandra Andrade visit Mass & Cass many nights trying to connect with women trapped in the sex trade.
“I feel like if I didn’t meet Abby or Sandra, I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” said Mackey.
“They are being judged and discarded and disbelieved,” said Dr. Abigail Judge, Psychologist and Co-Founder of Boston H.E.A.T.
They’ve spent more than a decade helping people break free from the cycle of exploitation through their non-profit group, The Boston Human Exploitation Advocacy Team, or “H.E.A.T.”
Groups like H.E.A.T work with Boston’s police’s human trafficking unit. They’ve helped over 270 exploited women at Mass & Cass over the last five years.
During that time the city cleared away the tents, but Dr. Judge says much more needs to be done.
“The commercial sex trade remains unchanged than what it was prior to the decampment,” said Dr. Judge.
Even though the tents are gone, many of the issues still remain. Dr. Judge says it’s even harder to connect with women who are most vulnerable.
“The people are less visible, and they are harder to find,” said Judge.
But change can start with just a conversation.
“It’s building a relationship,” said Dr. Andrade. “Some might say, ‘oh, you just spoke to her for two minutes.’ But later it will be five, and then the next time I see you, you might sit with me for 30 minutes, and then we get to know women and build this connection to trust us.”
“Everyone at Mass & Cass is in survival mode, and so to have these opportunities to build long-term relationships is extraordinarily valuable and rare,” said Dr. Judge.
Also rare, the safe haven that H.E.A.T. has built.
7NEWS was invited to see the place where women can get clean clothes and toiletries, take a shower, and relax.
“I feel at home,” said Mackey.
“We wanted a place where they can feel genuine love,” said Dr. Andrade.
It’s that kind of support that’s helped Emily, Molly, and so many others break free.
“Sobriety is definitely possible,” said Emily. “If you put your mind to it, if you want it, you can do it.”
If you’d like to help H.E.A.T. Provide support for women on Mass and Cass, consider donating to their cause here.
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