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Rhea Tannehill, left, Lamar Austin, with Purple Heart Homes, center, and Frankie Dunn, right.

Scott Burns, founder of 7 Days for the Troops (left), shakes hands with Frankie Dunn during a ceremony Wednesday where Dunn received a new “tiny” home thanks to a joint effort by 7 Days and Purple Heart Homes. Photo by Alyssa Schnugg

The 32 square meter house is fully barrier-free and was built with Dunn’s physical limitations in mind.

The ramp should be finished soon and then Dunn can move in.

In a sign of their community spirit and unwavering support for veterans, two organizations have joined forces to provide a new home for Frankie Dunn, a needy 71-year-old veteran from Lafayette County.

Purple Heart Homes and Seven Days for the Troops provided Dunn with a “tiny home” after learning that the veteran was living in a shed on his property on County Road 114. The home may be small – about 350 square feet – but the outpouring of support from other veterans and donations from community members have been tremendous.

Dunn’s son, who serves in the military in Germany, reached out to Scott Burns, founder of the Tupelo-based organization 7 Days for the Troops.

“When I heard about Mr. Dunn’s situation, I knew we had to do something,” Burns said. “Normally, a project like this would take six months to a year, but we were able to do it in just a few months.”

The foundation was built a week ago and on Wednesday, surrounded by family, friends, volunteers and community members, Dunn was able to move into his new “tiny” home, which was built with his physical limitations in mind.

“I feel alive,” Dunn said. “I didn’t know there was such a thing to help people. I thank my children and ask God to bless you all.”

Dunn, a father of seven, formerly owned Frankie’s Restaurant in Oxford. He is one of five siblings, all of whom have served in the military.

Dunn can move in as soon as the wheelchair is ready, which should be in a few days.

Purple Heart Homes was founded in Statesville, North Carolina in 2008 and completed its first project in 2010. The organization now employs nearly 1,400 projects.

“Last year alone, we completed 203 projects for veterans across the country, including in Puerto Rico,” said Lamar Austin, who joined the organization in 2022. “Our focus is to keep veterans in their homes and provide them with a safe place to live, with most of our repairs focusing on safety, accessibility and protection.”

When Burns contacted Purple Heart Homes and shared Dunn’s story, they decided to do something. Dunn, who had been living in the makeshift warehouse after his wife died and his house burned down, suffered a stroke that derailed his efforts to convert the building into a livable space.

“When we heard about Frankie’s story, we decided to offer him one of our tiny homes,” Austin said.

Burns expressed his gratitude to everyone who participated in the project.

“It is nothing short of a miracle from God that we even contacted Purple Heart Homes and that they were able to make this possible,” he said. “And I want to thank Mr. Dunn for his efforts.”

“Welcome Home.”

Burns said veterans are often too humble to ask for help and urged the community to reach out to the veterans in their lives, whether they are family members or neighbors.

“If you know a veteran who needs help, whether it’s food, shelter or anything else, please ask for help on their behalf,” he said. “There are organizations ready and willing to help them get what they deserve.”

7 Days For The Troops is an organization founded by disabled veterans dedicated to supporting veterans and veterans organizations by raising funds to fill the gaps and meet the needs of disabled veterans.

Rhea Tannehill, an Oxford attorney and veteran, thanked the two organizations on behalf of his wife, Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill, the city of Oxford and other veterans.

For more information about Purple Heart Homes, visit https://purplehearthomesusa.org and for more information about 7 Days for the Troops, visit https://7daysforthetroops.org.