Fred Dawson sat with a long barber cape around his neck as he got his hair trimmed into a classic, clean cut on Friday.

To many, this may not seem like a blessing, but to Dawson — an Army veteran temporarily living in a motel — it was much needed, he said.

Dawson's first time attending Ventura County's annual Stand Down didn't just provide him with a haircut and clean clothes; he also received free medical care.

"Most of the time when I try to go get help, I can't afford to call anyone," said Dawson, 51, of Ventura, who suffered a heart attack in June. "And nobody lets you use their phones. This is helping me out a lot right now."

From Friday to Sunday, the California Army National Guard Armory in Ventura is hosting this year's Ventura County Stand Down. It's a community-based intervention program designed to help veterans break the cycle of homelessness, said Claire Hope, the event's founder and chairwoman.

"We provide all the services they need to help themselves out of that," she said.

During the three-day, two-night effort, veterans live on the armory property in military-style tents, with access to shower facilities, toiletries, new and used clean clothing, and hot meals each day.

The homeless veterans also receive a wide range of services, such as medical treatment, legal services, employment counseling and referrals, Veterans Affairs benefits, drug and alcohol counseling, and a Superior Court hearing on Friday.

There, veterans were given an opportunity to adjudicate pending legal cases before a volunteer judge who, instead of issuing fines or jail time, would order community service participation at the Stand Down site.

"We try to help veterans get off the streets and become productive citizens," Hope said.

Cedric L. Knight, president and CEO of New Directions Technologies, a Stand Down sponsor, was happy to help.

"I consider myself very fortunate," said Knight, a retired naval officer. "I look at the kids coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, and the vets from Vietnam and Korea — all of them need our support, and we need to take care of them."

For 15 years, Stand Down has been carried out through the work of hundreds of organizations and volunteers willing to lend a hand.

"We're so lucky," Hope said. "We wake up in the morning, and we have the jobs that we want, the cars that we want, and we live where we want. Without these veterans, we would not have that freedom. Freedom is not free."

Friday's lunch, served "chow-line" style, included fried chicken, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, dinner rolls and cake for dessert, all provided by CACI, Inc., an IT and network solutions company.

After eating, Marine Corps veteran William Calvin King, 51, of Virginia Beach, Va., borrowed a cell phone from a stranger and called his 20-year-old son across the country, telling him that his dad was safe and loved him.

The homeless veteran has been sleeping on the ground and in shelters around the country since late December.

"It's part of the adventure, the traveling experience," King said. "It's well worth it to meet and talk to these kinds of people. The camaraderie of vets, that's what it's all about. That's why we fought for this country."