As Cardinal Robert Prevost recently ascended to the papacy, tradition demanded that he choose a new name. This first American-born pope selected Leo XIV in honor of Leo XIII, a 19th-century pontiff known as the father of Catholic social teaching after writing the papal encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” which translates as “On the Conditions of Labor.” Catholic social teaching is a practice that involves applying the philosophy of the Gospels to modern social issues. As a student at Regis High School in Manhattan, I’ve been studying these teachings, exploring issues from war to immigration and everything in between.

One issue that caught my attention is wealth inequality. We all hear the statistics about the top 1% having such a disproportionate share of our nation’s wealth, but I was surprised to learn that 70% of all the wealth in our country is controlled by 10% of the population. I was curious to learn how this national reality affects our lives here in Pelham. Do we have a wealth gap? What can be done about it? Village of Pelham Mayor Chance Mullen was gracious enough to lend his expertise and insight to my study, and I believe our conversation has some practical advice for all of us.

While we certainly have different degrees of wealth (and even some poverty) in Pelham, our community doesn’t have quite the disparity we see across the nation. According to Mullen, however, the issue that exposes the greatest inequality is the affordability of housing. Simply put, Pelham doesn’t have very much affordable housing. The average home price here is over $1 million, making it prohibitively expensive for average Americans to move here and raise families. While there have been some attempts to increase the supply of reasonably-priced housing (like apartments along Fifth Avenue), the inventory of such options remains very low.

Some people might be fine with Pelham’s lack of workforce or entry-level housing. In fact, when Mullen and his administration allowed apartment buildings in the village to add an extra story to increase supply and stabilize prices, there was a great backlash, with some residents complaining that newcomers would crowd the schools and change the nature of our community.

I know not everybody in Pelham is Catholic and not all of our public policy should be based on religion, but my study of Catholic social teaching has led me to embrace two core principles with roots in Catholic philosophy, as well as most major religions and ethical traditions. One core principle is the “preferential option for the poor and vulnerable,” which calls us to support those in need. We often think of the hungry and homeless, but I believe there’s another group of people who need our support: the struggling working class who are looking for a community like Pelham to raise their families. They might not be in danger of starvation, but these people deserve a safe, stable and welcoming community like Pelham. The other key principle of the philosophy emphasizes the “life and dignity of the human person;” very simply, failing to help our neighbors thrive violates this fundamental value.

I’ve also studied economics, and I know how important it is to balance our drive for social justice with an economic system that works for all. But from what I’ve learned, we in Pelham are a long way from threatening our economic stability by adding more affordable housing to our town. We have the space. We have the need. And I believe we have the moral obligation to welcome more diversity to Pelham. In fact, I believe we’d become a stronger community as a result of increased diversity.

What we don’t have, however, is the advocacy for it. Mullen reported that he and his colleagues only tend to hear from those who are opposed to more affordable apartments. And they very rarely hear from those with a different perspective.

It sounds so simple, but the first step to a Pelham that has space for more people is for those of us who support reasonably-priced housing to make our voices heard. I urge all of you who want the town to be a more inviting home for people of all incomes to contact our local representatives and tell them why.

As Mullen said, sometimes public policy isn’t very complicated at all. It starts with the simple desire to “to be a thoughtful person.” The advice Mullen offered—“Don’t be scared of who the winners and losers are. Be a good person.”—sounds like something we might expect from Pope Leo XIV himself.

Leo Fanuele is a resident of Pelham.