Several women say local nonprofit HomeRise ignored complaints spanning at least two years while a high-profile case manager repeatedly harassed and sexually assaulted them at its supportive housing complexes in SoMa and on Treasure Island.
As the Chronicle reports, former residents and employees allege that Salesh Prasad — a formerly incarcerated case manager known as “Sal” who became something of a local success story after avoiding deportation and landing a job with HomeRise — routinely sexually harassed, propositioned, and in some cases sexually assaulted residents and co-workers while working at the nonprofit.
Prasad had previously drawn widespread local media attention after immigration authorities detained him upon his release from prison in 2021 and attempted to deport him to Fiji, where he had not lived since childhood. The bisexual former inmate became a high-profile cause in San Francisco and was featured by numerous Bay Area media outlets before ultimately winning his fight to remain in the US.
Women who lived and worked at HomeRise properties told the Chronicle that a very different picture emerged when Prasad began working as a case manager. At least five former employees and three residents told the Chronicle they reported Prasad’s alleged behavior to supervisors between 2023 and 2025, both verbally and in writing, but say little or nothing was done.
Former staff members said HomeRise ignored their complaints until a resident accused Prasad of raping her at the nonprofit’s Treasure Island housing in 2023, prompting his transfer to Jazzie Collins Apartments.
“This is a person who is inappropriate,” one employee said she thought to herself upon first meeting Prasad at Jazzie Collins. “I need to keep my eye out to protect the population of the building.”
The allegations finally prompted an internal investigation last fall after a Jazzie Collins resident reported that Prasad had sexually assaulted her. According to city records reviewed by the Chronicle, HomeRise staff delayed filing mandatory reports for nearly two weeks, and Prasad was allowed to continue working in the building for days after the investigation began. He resigned in October 2025.
Residents told the Chronicle that Prasad often served as the only case manager available in the nearly 100-unit building, leaving tenants with few alternatives if they wanted help accessing services or avoiding eviction. One resident said she feared being alone with him, while another said he repeatedly pressured her for sex until she eventually relented.
In a text message to the Chronicle, Prasad denied all of the allegations, calling them “all false” and saying he had always treated residents and colleagues with respect.
“I am proud of my work as a case manager, helping people who are formerly homeless or who struggle with substance use, mental health, and severe trauma,” Prasad continued. “I met every challenge with professionalism, treated the people I served and my colleagues with respect, and left HomeRise on good terms.”
The allegations come as HomeRise, one of the city's largest supportive housing providers, remains under heightened city scrutiny. Much of that scrutiny has been driven by Aisha McCain, whose brother Eric McCain was found dead and decomposing in his room at Jazzie Collins last year after staff failed to conduct required wellness checks, according to city investigators, as the Chronicle reported in March.
The nonprofit has also spent much of the past two-and-a-half years on the city's watch list for organizations with serious fiscal or programmatic concerns, while the City Attorney’s Office is also investigating the organization over unrelated issues. HomeRise interim CEO Leo Levenson told the Chronicle the allegations surrounding Prasad are “extremely concerning” and said the nonprofit is looking into what happened and what changes are needed to better protect residents and staff.
The Chronicle also reports that after leaving HomeRise, Prasad was hired by East Bay supportive housing provider Bay Area Community Services. The organization said it was unaware of the allegations during the hiring process and fired him in May after learning about the city's findings.
Despite the allegations, Prasad continued to receive public recognition. A short documentary about his life, Off the Record: Sal, reportedly premiered at the Roxie Theater in December and later screened at the Cleveland International Film Festival. The film's producers, who partnered with the San Francisco Public Defender's Office on the project, told the Chronicle they were unaware of the allegations against Prasad while making the film.
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