Exodus offers relief and guidance for motivated (ex-)detainees who have questions in the fields of living, working, relationships or the giving of meaning. When applying, a resident candidate should make his motivations apparent through an application form and a handwritten life story. The organizations that guide people to Exodus also supply background information as well as (sometimes required) advice and reports. After this, an intake conversation can determine whether the detainee fits in Exodus or not. In this way, Exodus tries to ensure that the ex-detainee has a real chance of finishing the program. This is important for Exodus (because a high negative outflow is bad for results and public image), but even more important in preventing (more) disappointment in candidate residents. Prematurely ending a program also often leads to unrest in other residents as well as the guidance team.

Important negative factors are obvious addiction problems, aggressive behavior or serious psychiatric issues. An Exodus house is not a treatment center for addiction or psychiatric issues. Even so, many residents do have a history of addiction and/or psychic and psychiatric issues. The situation of these issues must be stable, prospective residents must (no longer) be dependent on substance use, and their behavior cannot be a danger to their surroundings. Many residents follow additional programs while they live in the Exodus house. They follow the Exodus program as a practical application of what they learn in addiction care or psychiatric care.

Of course, the process of application and placement is not always as smooth as this description might indicate. The cooperation between the different services involved is often very complex, the detainee`s behavior can become a problem (for example by returning to an addiction), and judicial laws in regard to financial debt or additional convictions can prevent placement or result in expulsion.

The placement of Dutch people detained abroad is even more complex. For them, it is often unclear when they will be allowed to return to the Netherlands, communication is difficult and having an intake conversation before placement is practically impossible.