A friend in need
For Jesse B. Trent (M.P.A. '86), social work is much more than a 9 to 5 job

Jesse B. Trent doesn't know the meaning of the word overtime. As far as the supervisor of adult services in the Suffolk Department of Social Services is concerned, his job doesn't stop at the end of the work day.

"People don't stop hurting at a certain time of the day," observes Trent, who earned a master's degree in public administration from Old Dominion in 1986.

Trent says he helps people because he "feels a Christian obligation," and he has opened his home to many people in need over his 29 years in social services.

"It doesn't happen very often, but I've always allowed people to call me at home. People in professions such as social work don't have a job that ends at 5 p.m.," said Trent, whose assistance has sometimes meant reaching into his own pocket to help. "If you were a policeman and you found someone who needed help, you wouldn't turn your back just because you were off duty. Well, it's the same thing with social work."

A native of Franklin, Va., Trent taught math and science at East Suffolk Intermediate School in Nansemond County for five years. In 1970, a career change took him to the Suffolk Department of Social Services as a senior social worker.

"If I had been a social worker before I was a teacher, I would have been able to understand a lot of the problems that the children had," said Trent, recalling one girl who would hide at lunchtime because she was embarrassed by the little food her family could afford.

As supervisor of Adult Services, Trent works with seven social workers to administer adult protective services to any adult over age 60, or any disabled adult from age 18 to 60, who is abused, neglected or exploited. He also oversees the real estate tax relief program. In addition, his department provides companion services and community-based care to those in need.

Outside the office, Trent serves as chair of Suffolk Services and Emergencies, a private, nonprofit organization that assists those ineligible for social services. As chair, he worked with the Suffolk Health Department to establish the Suffolk Community Health Center. "We help support people who fall through the cracks," he explained.

As treasurer of Action Inc., Trent helped obtain a $100,000 grant from the General Assembly to renovate an old high school. Now called the East Suffolk Community Center, the facility offers an exercise program for seniors, a homework hotline and an after-school tutoring program.

- Jennifer Mullen