When Kaydian Williams finally received the land title her family had waited years to secure, the moment was filled with both celebration and grief, a reminder of the grandmother, mother and brother who never lived to see it happen.

She was one of many residents of Ackee Walk and Jackson Town who on Thursday finally received the ownership documents that had eluded their families for decades.

For Williams, a resident of Jackson Town, the occasion marked the end of a journey that began long before she became involved in the process herself.

“I am extremely happy, excited because this has been a long time coming. My grandmother started this process many, many years ago. Unfortunately, she passed away… [in] 2024. And I had another death: My mother, who was living at the house too. She died years ago, though, when I was 16. That’s about 16 years or so ago, and then recently my brother just passed away two months ago. We have been looking forward to this for years,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

The titles were presented during a ceremony at Meadowbrook Church of Christ in Kingston as part of Government’s ongoing efforts to regularise land ownership and provide greater tenure security for Jamaicans who have occupied and developed properties without formal legal ownership.

For many recipients, however, the documents represented far more than a legal transaction.

“This has been a very emotional day for me because knowing that there are members of my family who didn’t see this come to fruition. It’s also a very happy day for me, for those of us who are still around, other members of my family who are overseas. Everybody is just so excited that finally, now, we have the title in hand,” Williams said.

The Ackee Walk and Jackson Town communities have their roots in Government-led efforts dating back decades to improve conditions in informally settled areas. While lots were subdivided and sold to occupants, the process of transferring legal ownership often became tangled in inheritance issues, informal sales, deaths and administrative delays, leaving many families in limbo for years.

Williams said the absence of a title had always created a sense of uncertainty, despite her family having lived on the property for generations.

“We were born, and we grew up there and it just never felt like our home, not having the title. So I am emotional, because he’s [her brother] not here to celebrate with me. But I am also feeling happiness because finally, I have the paper with my name on it,” she said.

The title now opens doors that were previously closed.

Among the first things Williams intends to do is determine the value of the property so she can include it among her assets when dealing with financial institutions.

A similar sense of relief was evident among other residents.

Stephen Thompson, who has lived in Ackee Walk for nearly six decades, said the title was something previous generations had worked towards but never got the chance to enjoy.

“I am feeling real, real good because it is a long time coming. I have been living here all of my life, nearly 60 years. To get the title is really a pleasure because the elders before not even get the chance to enjoy the journey, they started it but they pass off and gone,” he said.

Like Williams, Thompson sees the title not only as security but as a tool for financial advancement.

“Now having the title, for me its a new business, because I am a business man and I am always doing business. It can help me to buy some new equipment and do some more work,” he said.

For Jackson Town resident Donald Robinson, the emotions were harder to put into words.

“It is a good feeling, after waiting for so many years, it is a good feeling… I cannot find words to express, it is a good feeling,” he said.

Robinson said he is now looking forward to using the title to improve his home.

“I want to go upstairs now, so I can use this title to borrow loans from any reputable institution to get that done,” he said.

Thursday’s ceremony marked the latest step in the Government’s effort to regularise informal settlements and increase the number of registered landowners across Jamaica. Ackee Walk and Jackson Town were among several communities that benefited from a declaration made under the Registration of Titles, Cadastral Mapping and Tenure Clarification (Special Provisions) Act, which allows the State to undertake a more systematic approach to resolving long-standing land ownership issues.