Photos show scores of homeless people camped out and sheltering from the cold in ATM vestibules across New York City, as banks struggle to battle ‘crime and vagrancy’ that has run rampant at their branches.
From Uptown to Downtown and throughout Midtown, across Citibank, Chase, TD, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America, the sight of homeless people slumped over asleep in ATM vestibules has become commonplace in the Big Apple.
Residents have reported regularly seeing drug use in the vestibules, finding them strewn with trash and sleeping bodies, and harassed or even assaulted by vagrants who have taken over the spaces.
Banks have been forced to hire security guards to monitor ATMs after dark, and last week Chase Bank announced it would be closing some of its ATM vestibules after 5pm to combat the situation.
A homeless man sleeps at in a Santander bank ATM vestibule on Canal Street
Two homeless people slumped over and sleeping at a TD ATM near Penn Station
Last night at a Santander ATM in SoHo, a man could be seen sleeping on his back – hands folded peacefully over his stomach – while his discarded shoes, clothes, and shopping cart full of possessions blocked the entrance.
At a TD Bank vestibule near Penn Station, a homeless man leaned against a mural of a city park, staring destitute out the window while his sleeping bag was spread out around him.
At another Midtown TD, a man was laid back supine and sleeping on a bench inside the ATM, while next to him another was slumped down and passed out face down over his knees.
And at a Citibank ATM on Madison Avenue, a homeless person barricaded themselves in a corner behind a wall of suitcases and trash bags.
A homeless man sits with his sleeping bag at a TD Bank ATM in Midtown
A homeless person huddles in the corner of a Madison Avenue Citibank ATM
A homeless person huddled in the cold outside a Union Square Chase Bank ATM
The constant presence of homeless people making homes out of ATM’s vestibules has left customers fearing for their safety as they try to collect their own money.
Just last week, a customer was scalded when a crazed man tossed a cup of boiling hot coffee in his face in an unprovoked attack at a Chase Bank ATM in midtown.
NYC residents have demanded why banks like Chase – which controls $3trillion – has allowed their ATMs to devolve into dens of criminal danger.
‘This is the @Chase ATM lobby in #TimesSquare at 8 a.m. 17 Jan, 2023,’ wrote one Twitter user, sharing a photo of a filth strewn ATM vestibule. ‘This is a financial institution with $3.31 trillion in assets. It seems like they could do better than this.’
After a customer complained about how early Chase ATMs were closing last week, the bank responded by disclosing that they’d decided to close some locations early over its homelessness problem.
‘Our apologies. We decide to close several ATM vestibules at 5PM or 6PM, aligning the hours of service to that of the normal branch hours, due to rising crime and vagrancy that occurred in these previously 24/7 vestibules,’ the bank wrote.
But customers were not pleased that Chase’s strategy for battling its vagrancy problem was to inconvenience customers.
‘I thought 10:00pm was an inconvenience, but 5pm is ridiculous. You need to reimburse your customers for additional fees because you can’t provide security at these locations,’ one customer tweeted.
‘I thought 10:00pm was an inconvenience, but 5pm is ridiculous. You need to reimburse your customers for additional fees because you can’t provide security at these locations,’ another wrote.
Chase bank declined to comment on how many branches or neighborhoods would be effected by its closures.
‘We review our ATM hours on a case-by-case basis and for a variety of reasons may decide to temporarily close some overnight,’ the bank said in a statement to DailyMail.com
A homeless man sits inside an ATM vestibule downtown near Union Square
A security guard watches over a Chase Bank ATM in Midtown
A homeless person camped outside a Capital One Bank ATM near Union Square
Mayor Eric Adams told a press conference Monday he was disappointed the bank’s, adding that he wanted to create a safer environment.
‘How about, people don’t want to walk into their ATM and see someone urinating, see someone screaming and yelling – people don’t want to go through that,’ he said.
‘And that is what I’m saying I need to stop. I don’t want my ATMs closing down. I don’t want people leaving our city. We have to create an environment where people are safe and feel safe.’
The New York Bankers Association, which represents banking institutions across the state, said in a statement, ‘Ensuring the safety and security of customers and employees has always been a top priority of the banking industry.’
‘While we have not conducted a recent survey of our members on this topic, as issues arise NYBA and our members evaluate possible trends with the intention of working with banks, law enforcement and the local community toward solutions.’
