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The analysis proposed in this article describes various aspects that manifest the beliefs and interests of categories of actors from the heterogeneous groups engaged in the French program “Un chez-soi d’abord”. The authors identify the process by which coalitions of actors are formed and the deeper issues involved in a profound change in public action. “Un chez-soi d’abord” brought about a culture shock resulting from two specific aspects of the program: Research-based definitions of criteria of access to housing; and individualization of support offered in the housing based on experiential knowledge. Criteria giving priority of access to the program coincide with those used by the traditional system to define those people who are most at risk. By attempting to remedy this problem (candidates defined both as prioritized and at risk), the experiment postpones the collective responsibility of defining criteria of access to housing and places the responsibility for risk management (whether outcomes are positive or not) on the teams carrying out this work and their partners.