A studio apartment in Oakland is $1,500 a month. There are already a bunch of great free resources to learn to code, including Codecademy, Coursera, Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseware, and freeCodeCamp.
Right now, the people who need to learn to code need room and board, not yet another free coding school.
First, why live in Oakland? A lot of our students move to more friendly environments (read: cheaper) during that time.
There are a lot of great resources, no doubt, but those don't really compare to an in-person experience with an instructor and a school incentivized to take you all the way to hired.
The difference is that with Khan Academy, Coursera etc. you need self discipline. With Lambda you have a coach who expects you to be at your computer at 9am every weekday, and who has a strong financial incentive to ensure you learn.
Plus in time a Lambda qualification may become more respected by employers than a Coursera degree.
Right now, the people who need to learn to code need room and board, not yet another free coding school.