The purpose of this study was to examine the family experience from the perspective of the residents of the Santa Maria Housing Complex, a popular community in the city of Belo Horizonte (MG).The proposal was to establish a dialogue with the interviewees, so as to facilitate the expression of a more intimate family experience, seeking the recognition of living elements of significant experiences, in other words, the relationship units. The experience was conceived from phenomenology presuppositions, as the resonance in the person's subjectivity occurred because of the interaction between conscience and reality. The intention was to get a description of the family experience that would be very valuable in the understanding of the factors involved in the family relationships of those people. Three people were interviewed, and their statements were analyzed using the phenomenological research method. The analysis of the data allowed for the capture of the essential elements of being a family member, presented under the form of relationship units, contained in the following representative subjects that were revealed in the statements: 1) the conception of the family: definition, family configuration, postures within the family and structural elements; 2) the roles in family dynamics; 3) destabilizing elements in the family; 4) the problems faced by the family; 5) the perception of the community's families; and, 6) work experience of the community's families. The family as the base of life, dialogue, affection, religion/God and the presence of experience in the structural elements in the existence of the family, and the importance of the family network and the paternal figure were the units of common meaning captured in all of the statements, amongst others. The female interviewees emphasized the elements of living experiences more related to the aspects of family relationships, while the only male interviewee emphasized those regarding the family structure, linked to the masculine functions of providing and relationships with the world. In conclusion, the merit of the family experience study was emphasized for the development of projects and programs for community support and in relation to the possible contributions of a psychologist to help the community, including the value of the groups and the training of interpersonal skills of the participants.