This article attempts to evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of carrying out a participatory approach to a study. It draws on the write-up of a study of homeless families by questionnaire. During the development of the study, some people formerly in a situation of homelessness joined the research team and contributed to the study’s implementation, as during the administration of the questionnaire. This experience suggests that it could be advantageous for traditional research to put more participatory procedures into place in order to enrich our scientific knowledge.