Friday is the start of the weekend set aside specifically for homeless veterans in Sacramento. The Sacramento Stand Down event opens its doors at Mather Field 5:30 a.m.
Bud Lee with Sacramento Stand Down says homeless veterans will have access to care similar to what they received when they were pulled off the front lines during combat.
"We bring them in. We give them some new clothes. We feed them. We connect them with a lot of government agencies and other providers -get some medical care," Lee says. "And, help them -hopefully- get access to housing. Unfortunately, we can't do that for everyone. There just isn't enough room."
Lee says he expects about 350 veterans to take advantage of the services offered. Once the veterans check in, they stay at Mather until two o'clock Sunday afternoon.
Sacramento Stand Down says the number of homeless veterans it encounters has stayed constant, but the number of homeless veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq has tripled in recent years.
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