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Gaps In addition to the overlaps described above, analysis revealed a more extensive set of gaps between expert and public understandings. #ese gaps indicate areas where effective framing is vital to successfully translate the expert story described at the outset of this report. 1. Housing and Health: Health Promotion vs. Do No Harm. Experts and members of the public diverge in their understanding of how housing affects health outcomes. While experts focus attention on the ways in which healthy housing can promote positive health, the public assumes that housing is healthy as long as it does not cause harm and people have a place to lay their head. 2. Healthy Housing: Citizen Right vs. Consumer Good. Experts think of healthy housing as a right of all citizens, while the public thinks of it as a consumer good—something that some people can rightfully afford and others can't. According to the public, the fact that some people have healthy housing and others do not is not a problem but rather a natural feature of a functioning marketplace. 3. Toxins: Current Problem vs. In the Past. Experts explain that toxins such as lead, asbestos, mold, radon, and carbon monoxide constitute a signi"cant health threat for millions of Americans. #e public, on the other hand, assumes that toxins in the home are a problem of the past and that due to regulations, toxins no longer pose a danger to people's health. 4. Dangerous Contaminants: Invisible vs. Visible. Experts are highly concerned about invisible toxins such as radon and carbon monoxide, and can identify the speci"c causal mechanisms by which these toxins compromise health. #e public on the other hand, focuses on the threats to health posed by visible contaminants such as trash, dirt, and pests and not on invisible contaminants. In addition, the public's understanding of the mechanisms by which these contaminants lead to negative health effects is underspeci"ed. 5. Causal Responsibility: Policies vs. Individuals. To explain problems with housing (quality problems, disparities, lack of affordability, etc.), experts emphasize systemic factors, such as policies that systematically disadvantage certain populations or that fail to stimulate a larger supply of affordable, healthy housing. Members of the general public, on the other hand, attribute housing problems to individuals, including greedy landlords and renters' and homeowners' own choices within the housing market. 6. Undocumented Immigrants: Particularly Vulnerable vs. Undeserving. Experts highlight undocumented immigrants' vulnerability and lamented their lack of recourse when faced with unhealthy housing conditions. #e public, by contrast, views undocumented immigrants as "lawbreakers" who, by virtue of breaking the law, have forfeited the right to quality housing and public services. "A House, a Tent, a Box": Mapping the Gaps Between Expert and Public Understanding of Healthy Housing 31

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