The more U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson listened, the more he liked it.

No government handout. Minimum bureaucratic interference. New homeowners putting in their own sweat equity to realize the American dream of owning their own home.

“This is a phenomenal success story,” Johnson said Monday as he met with staff and board members of ACTS Housing, which promotes affordable homeownership among low-income families in three targeted city neighborhoods. He said the program was a model for turning communities around.

ACTS is a soup to nuts nonprofit, offering homebuyer counseling services, home sales services and rehab management services. The organization helps homeowners take over dilapidated and foreclosed properties, and shows them how to rehab the homes. The result is a higher owner-occupancy rate in neighborhoods where absentee landlords are often the norm.

ACTS Housing also works with the city to find buyers for city-owned homes.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Johnson said. “And I love the fact that this works within the private sector.”