AN AFGHAN refugee said today he is “just living by hope” that he won’t become homeless after being told to leave his temporary accommodation within the next three weeks.

Amir Hussain Ibrahimi said he has spoken to around 10 landlords in London and on the outskirts of the city in an effort to find a place to rent, but none have accepted him as a tenant.

The 24-year-old has been living in a hotel in Southend-on-Sea for almost two years, having come to Britain on a military evacuation flight in August 2021 as the Taliban swept back into power.

Mr Ibrahimi, who works as a marketing and production assistant at the Good Chance theatre in east London, said he has been “doing my best, I am paying taxes and I am happy that I am trying to improve and be part of this society and stand on my own two feet.”

On Tuesday, Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer told Parliament there is no reason why Afghans being settled in Britain cannot live independently of central government support, saying the government expects “families to help themselves.”

But Mr Ibrahimi said it is difficult as a refugee who is new to a country to get a permanent job and insisted that “rushing is not the way for finding housing for thousands of people.”

“I think [Mr Mercer] cannot understand what our situation is, to be honest,” he said.

“He hasn’t had to leave everything behind and had to travel with a small backpack.

“He hasn’t been in a room alone having left his family behind. 

“He hasn’t been a refugee trying to find a place to work and no-one is going to give you a permanent job because you are a refugee.”