Manitoba Assembly of First Nations Grand Chief Ron Evans said he wants to see more outreach to disadvantaged aboriginals with a potential outbreak of the virus looming. (CBC)   

The health of Manitoba's homeless population needs to be safeguarded against a potential outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus this fall, says the co-chair of a Winnipeg drop-in centre.

But one of the biggest problems Calvin Pompana of the Phil Fontaine Drop-Inn Centre said he faces is a lack of knowledge in the homeless community about the virus.

Pompana, a spiritual healer, said Saturday many of the centre's clients have weakened immune systems due to substance-abuse problems or suffer from chronic illnesses like diabetes or AIDS.

"And they certainly don't eat food that will help them to deal with those issues. But also they have alcohol, drugs, and sniffing. So all those don't help." Pompana said.

Also, a significant proportion of potential victims are aboriginal, Pompana said.

'I don't even know what [H1N1] means'—Chester Levasseur

First Nations communities were hit hard by the virus when it emerged in the spring.

Pompana said if there is a fall outbreak of H1N1, he hopes the health of Winnipeg's homeless will be looked after.

He's been walking around the city talking to homeless people, warning them about swine flu.

He wants the public to also be aware homeless people may have fallen victim to the virus.

"If you see somebody lying in the street at four o'clock in the morning, rest assured that person needs help," Pompana said.

CBC News spoke to Chester Levasseur, a homeless man living on the streets of Winnipeg. He said he had "no clue" about H1N1.

"I don't even know what that means," Levasseur said.

Another homeless man, Jeff Auger, said he had unanswered questions about swine flu.

"I don't know how it gets from the ghetto in Mexico to a ghetto in Winnipeg," Auger wondered.

Health Canada just released last week a priority list of who's first in line to receive vaccinations for H1N1. Marginalized people like the homeless weren't specifically identified on it.

Homeless access to health care an issue: AFN

Manitoba Assembly of First Nations Grand Chief Ron Evans said a major issue is how homeless aboriginal people have trouble accessing health-care services. He's advocating for more outreach to get them in the know about H1N1.

"It's challenging because they don't have the support, they don't necessarily have the contacts, the information that they need, and so what we have to do is reach out," Evans said.

Dr. Joel Kettner, Manitoba's chief provincial officer of health said last week that while Health Canada's vaccination priority list may not name homeless or disadvantaged people specifically, they may get bumped to the front of the line.

Kettner said elements like societal marginalization and access to care will figure in as Manitoba assesses its own vaccination target groups.

"For example homelessness, other things like that. I think we're going to look very closely at that," Kettner said.