Tobin Lab
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research focus

Homelessness in Schools

 
 

A Gathering Place for Information

The Tobin Lab at Louisiana State University is a collaborative space for ideas, research, and action on homelessness, education, housing, and justice. Our three main purposes are to highlight research we are conducting (or have conducted) ourselves; to provide links to other high-quality work on the needs of homeless children and youth in school; and to provide educators with strategies to meet the needs of this vulnerable population.

LOCATION

107 Peabody Hall
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

CONTACT

ktobin@lsu.edu



read more: https://housingmatters.urban.org/research-summary/poor-housing-conditions-increased-risk-dying-covid-19-mortality
Good news in the housing world. Read more at https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_22_113
Ever wonder how people lose their homes? Eviction is a big piece of the puzzle. This phenomenal book is crucial to understanding what happens when families get thrown out of their houses. #homelessness @evictionlab
Good news -- lack of affordable housing is a root cause of #homelessness

Homelessness is Complex and Multifaceted

In young children

Young children experiencing homelessness are 3x more likely than their domiciled peers to suffer from developmental delays. Click here to learn more about the challenges they face.

Families

Most people are surprised to learn that nearly 40% of the unhoused population in the US is comprised of families, usually female-headed, with young children. Read more about their experiences here.

At school

Passed in 1987, the McKinney-Vento Act mandates a host of supports and services for unhoused children at school. Click here to learn about this history of this law as well barriers to its full implementation.
 

Collegiate homelessness

Having gotten into college is not always the magic answer for youth. Even elite college athletes are not immune from the challenges of homelessness. Read more here about the challenges and the way colleges and universities can support these students.

unaccompanied youth

Some young people are unhoused without their families, either because they were asked to leave or ran away from unsafe homes. LGBTQ+ and parenting youth are overrepresented in this population. Click here to learn more.

Adults

Although our focus is on children and youth experiencing homelessness, some background on issues facing the adult population is vital to understanding the problem writ large. Systems produce homelessness, and the same systems that affect children harm the adults they love.

 
 
 
 

2024

Dr. Tobin’s fall HNRS 2020 class raised over $3000 in donations and contributions for the Maternity Group Home of Youth Oasis, the only youth homeless shelter in Baton Rouge.

Dr. Fischer and Dr. Tobin published “Educating youth who don’t have a place to sleep” in the October Kappan magazine.

2023

Dr. Tobin traveled to Germany to give a talk to PhD students at Heidelberg University and collaborate with former visiting scholar to the Tobin Lab, Matthias Fischer.

Dr. Tobin & Dr. Gros presented at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Conference 2023 is New Orleans in November. They talked about their book to district liaisons from all across the country.

2022

We were delighted to host Matthias Fischer, a PhD student from University of Education Heidelberg, Germany. Matthias’s research interests include the didactics of science and education for homeless students as well as street-connected children and youth both in the Global North and South. Matthias earned a B.Sc. in mathematics and physics (University of Bayreuth, 2015) as well as an M.Ed. in these two subjects (University of Regensburg, 2019). Matthias has taught in a school in Cebu City, Philippines, which was specifically founded for former street-connected children and youth, and currently teaches physics at the University of Education Heidelberg. He is working on his dissertation, “Science Education in German Street Schools and its Potential to Fulfill the Sustainable Development Goal ‘Quality Education,’” and he has published about physics education for street youth. While at LSU, Matthias gave a guest lecture about what lessons the US can learn from his studies of the academic needs of homeless youth in Germany.