LITTLE EGG HARBOR – For many, building a house is a lifelong dream. But for Paul Hulse, the CEO of Just Believe, Inc., it could help end some nightmares.
Hulse admits that getting together architectural plans, securing contractors and requesting permits are a new experience for him. He’s excited about the potential for breaking ground soon.
There’s a twist however – the house soon to be built won’t be his.
Hulse is well-known throughout Ocean County as a tireless advocate in search of solutions for homelessness. And while Hulse won’t be living in the house being built in Little Egg Harbor, he couldn’t be prouder of the place he’s already dubbed as Larry’s Home.
Lawrence “Larry” Robertiello and Hulse had been best friends since the time they were ten years old and growing up in Waretown. They enjoyed getting into mischief as young boys and had their share of adventures during their time at Southern Regional High School.
Even when Larry joined the Army right after high school and was stationed in Kuwait and Baghdad, the two friends stayed close. Larry would regularly call Hulse on a satellite phone, keeping their friendship strong despite the distance.
Like many soldiers serving in a war zone, Larry returned home and could not overcome what he experienced during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He struggled with PTSD and sought to numb his pain to forget the trauma that haunted him.
Larry was just a few months shy of his 40th birthday when he passed away on April 9, 2022, from an accidental drug overdose.
“He didn’t kill himself on purpose,” said Larry’s mother, Nancy. “The drugs put him in the hands of poison.”
“There’s no way that he would have left his son who he loved dearly,” Nancy continued. “He was having a rough time with everything in life. He just broke up with a girlfriend and didn’t have a home.”
Hulse began the steps to open up a transitional home for veterans in need of help a few years ago. Larry was still alive back then, and Hulse recalled visiting him during his in-patient attempts to get better. He recalled watching Larry suffering through night terrors, and wishing he could help.
Larry’s Home will be built on property donated to Just Believe in 2021. The project has inspired the goodwill of many people, including the general contractor. After interviewing several builders, Just Believe’s Board of Directors and Hulse liked what they heard from Elite Construction Services and Project Manager Joe Kelly of Michael J. Wright Construction.
“I really wanted to have a builder that would allow people to come in who wanted to volunteer,” said Hulse. “There’s a lot of people who knew Larry and were family members and want to be able to say they put a nail in his house.”
Hulse, who was a plumber for 14 years, said he knew a lot of tradesmen who were also willing to give their time and experience to the project. Among them are a roofer, electrician, and someone doing the well and septic.
Depending on the issuance of building permits, Just Believe hopes to break ground for Larry’s Home in May or June.
Another of Larry’s childhood friends said the veteran’s group he belongs to will also give of their time in another way. Jay Hayden is a board member of Ma Deuce Deuce, a group whose objective is to help veterans struggling with PTSD.
“We plan to work with the veterans at Larry’s Home,” said Hayden. “When you’re in the military, you form a camaraderie, like a brotherhood with those around you.”
“Sometimes it’s a tighter unity than your own family back home,” Hayden continued. “It’s because you’re surviving together when deployed into these regions, so when you separate, you come back into the civilian world, your brothers and sisters are no longer there.”
Hayden said that for some veterans, guilt settles in and learning to adapt becomes difficult. People start giving up because they have nobody to reach out to that understands them. The members of Ma Deuce Deuce intend to be there for those at Larry’s House.
Once the four bedroom house is completed, six men will be able to live in Larry’s House for twelve months. They’ll be expected to meet certain goals each month and will be followed by a case manager. A security system will be in place so that everyone feels safe. And, of course the emphasis will be on sober living.
“If there had been a place like that when Larry was alive, he would have had a home for sure,” Nancy said. “Where he could have stayed away from drugs and gotten his life back together.”
Anyone interested in assisting in Just Believe’s mission to help the homeless or in need can contact them through their website: justbelieveinc.org.
