The best long-term way to reduce hunger is to empower low-income working families to develop the assets they need to climb out of poverty and enter the middle-class. That's why Governor Spitzer's Working Families Food Stamp Initiative is so important.

This proposal, unveiled by Spitzer last week, will simplify the process for low-income New Yorkers to access food stamp benefits. As a result, up to 100,000 additional working households, or more than 200,000 people, will get needed support to feed their families.

These are families who are off welfare. The initiative will allow many of the enrollment requirements for working people to be waived.

These changes will in no way be a backdoor for those seeking to fraudulently obtain food stamp benefits. Fraud-detection systems will remain in place.

Providing low-income workers with supports, including food stamps, New York has managed to reduce welfare by nearly 70 percent. But ensuring those moving into the workforce can succeed requires economic supports. The Working Families Food Stamp Initiative does just that.

David A. Hansell

Albany

Hansell is commissioner of the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.