A Minneapolis City Council member hosted a community meeting on Monday to address an encampment on the south side of the city.

The encampment that prompted the meeting had been located under the 35W bridge on 31st Street. It was evicted by city officials a few weeks ago and moved to 3rd Avenue South near 33rd Street.

Minneapolis council member Andrea Jenkins, who represents Ward 8, called the process of finding a solution “complicated.”

According to city leaders, people living in encampments make up 4% of the homeless population in the city, but it’s still a big concern.

The issues of homelessness, drug addiction and crime brought officials and community members in one room to find a solution.

In the meeting, a neighbor told a story about her 11-year-old son going out to play with a friend outside their home, but it was interrupted by several gunshots.

“My mom is afraid. We can’t go outside. We’re trapped in our own home,” she said.

City, county and state leaders, in addition to neighbors and business and property owners, packed into a room hoping to get on the same page.

“These are human beings who deserve permanent housing who don’t deserve to be chased around the city,” one attendee said.

Advocates who work directly with those in homeless encampments said there are not enough city and county services to help.

“Every time they have to jump through all of these hoops if they want to go to treatment and get to detox, there is a waiting list,” a homeless advocate said. “There’s nowhere for them to go.”

“Two, maybe three big encampments we chase around the city all the time, it’s exhausting,” Michael Ohama, Mayor Frey’s senior policy aide, said. “We spend 99% of our time chasing encampments.”

City leaders explained there are people who visit the encampments to offer resources, but the fentanyl crisis makes it harder to help the unhoused.

“When people are that addicted to that drug, they don’t want help,” Ohama said. “We’re struggling with what to do with that.”

Mike Forcia, with the Native American Movement Twin Cities, is already working on his own solution.

His goal is to reclaim Indigenous land — starting with East Phillips Park to build a treatment hub. 

“We can put in over 100 tiny homes, plus we have the gym,” Forcia said. “There are all kinds of park buildings around so those kids can go play somewhere. My people are dying in the street.”

Everyone in the room agreed on one thing: an emergency solution is needed.

“We need long-term solutions,” Jenkins said. “We’re going to go back and really try to work to bring forward sustainable, humane and constitutionally sound solutions to help deal with this problem.”

A meeting attendee also suggested a think tank full of advocates, city, county and state leaders to come up with a game plan.

Jenkins told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the goal is to have a solution within the next couple of weeks.

Another encampment causing concern for city residents is located on East 25th Street and Bloomington Avenue.