I’m an asylum seeker – I’ve been living in a hotel in Southend for a year but I want a home of my own
MORE than 13 months after arriving in Britain, three Afghan refugees still languish in the three-star Park Inn by Radisson Palace Hotel.
Afghanis Siddiq Naziri, 18, his twin brother Omer and their cousin Haroon Jalil, 22, dream of a home of their own.
All three have been granted leave to remain in the UK.
Student Siddiq revealed in his excellent English: “We are grateful for all the help we have received from the British government but we are still waiting for accommodation.
“We have been living in this hotel for a year now. It’s a nice place but there are guests staying here and we would like a home of our own.”
Student Siddiq, who works in a fried chicken shop at the seaside resort, says he would like to move near to his 11-year-old sister, who has hearing problems and lives with an aunt in Grays, Essex.
READ MORE ASYLUM SEEKERS
The cricket-mad youngster added: “People in Britain are so nice and have really helped us.
“I want a home of my own. One day I would like to work in real estate.”
A Southend-on-Sea City Council spokesperson said the hotel “remains under contract by the Home Office as a bridging hotel for Afghan evacuees”.
They added: “The longer-term aim is to get families into settled accommodation nationwide.”
Most read in The Sun
The Home Office acknowledged that hotels don’t “provide a long- term solution” under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, adding “they do offer safe, secure and clean accommodation”.
They point out that Britain has provided homes for nearly 7,400 Afghan evacuees, but “there is a shortage of local housing accommodation for all”.
Yet the demand is likely to continue to soar.
Read More on The Sun
On Wednesday, 856 cold and hungry migrants crossed the Channel in small boats.
With Britain’s housing stock creaking, it is likely most will end up in expensive hotel rooms.
