Voa Names New Complex After Former Director

Thu., May 14, 1998

By Angie Gaddy angieg@spokesman.com

Friends say Ken Trent was a man who devoted his life to doing for others.

The Valley resident was a caretaker, a confidant and a listener.

When the former director of Spokane’s Volunteers of America, died of a heart attack at age 67 last April, his colleagues decided his legacy had to live on.

Now, it will.

A new Valley apartment complex for the mentally disabled will be known as Trent Terrace, in his honor.

Construction will begin Monday on the 24-unit apartment complex at 12426 E. Broadway.

Trent Terrace will be the third Volunteers of America home for the mentally ill in Spokane.

VOA also runs a housing complex for people with HIV and AIDS.

In his final years at VOA, Trent saw the ever-growing waiting list for subsidized housing for the mentally ill. He was working on this third project when he died last spring.

“It was real clear to us what we needed to name it,” said Marilee Roloff, executive director of Volunteers of America, who took over Trent’s position two years ago.

The new $1.4 million project will have 24 one-bedroom, one-bath apartments. Residents will pay 30 percent of their net income for rent. The building is federally subsidized, said Kay Reilly, senior property manager for Kiemle & Hagood, which is developing and will manage Trent Terrace.

“There are huge waiting lists for these types of buildings, ” Reilly said.

Last month HUD issued enough money for 80 living units for seniors and 16 living units for people with special needs in Washington, she said.

“The amount appears to be dwindling each year.”

Others say Trent’s namesake is an honor to the man who administered The Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund for 22 years. At VOA he oversaw money for those who couldn’t manage their own finances.

“I think it’s most appropriate,” said Michael Ryan, agencies director for Catholic Charities, who knew Trent for 11 years during the time Trent administered the Christmas Fund. “It is great honor to Ken and to the type of man he was.”

“He was really non-judgemental, approachable,” Ryan added. “I think Ken had friends at every level of society.”

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.