This study explores the economic and cultural resilience of social housing recipients in the Carapungo and Solanda neighborhoods of Quito, Ecuador. It examines the long-term impacts of housing debt, state intervention, and community organization on the livelihoods of residents. Through historical and qualitative analysis, the research highlights how debt functioned as both a stressor and a catalyst for social cohesion, community mobilization, and urban transformation. The findings suggest that residents developed survival strategies through collective action, informal savings mechanisms, and self-managed infrastructure improvements. Despite facing economic hardship and unfulfilled state promises, the residents of these neighborhoods demonstrated resilience by adapting their living spaces and strengthening community ties. However, contemporary challenges, such as insecurity and declining civic engagement, threaten the social fabric that once enabled collective resistance. The study contributes to discussions on urban development, debt, and resilience in the Global South.