DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Ukrainian immigrants living in North Texas have been trying to get their loved ones here, where they have warm beds and hot meals waiting, but say the process hasn't been easy.

Nataliia Hays has spent the last month collecting donations to send to her loved ones who no longer have a place to call home.

"So you know Kharkiv was bombed very, very bad so some of my family they moved together to buildings where they still have water and electricity and some of my relatives who can leave - they've left," she said.

Several of Hays' family members are seeking refuge in other European countries. They're trying to stay optimistic but have no friends or family nearby.

"Poland, Germany, Switzerland- they've opened their houses, but we're here ready to accept them," she said. "We'll provide them with everything, but we can't bring them here."

Hays says her family has been told the only way they can legally get into the U.S. right now is to secure visas.

On its website, The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine states it is no longer providing services but applicants can apply at any American consulate.

Hays said the process has been slow and some applications have already been denied. It's something many of her friends are also experiencing.

"We are confused at the moment, we don't understand why," Olena Jacobs said. "The visas they can apply for right now are $1,000 per person and there's no guarantee that it will work. It's only women and children and people who are disabled, not healthy people, leaving the country so we don't understand why there's a delay on that."

A spokesperson for the State Department said the U.S. is open to resettling Ukrainians who fled if they can't be protected in their current location but admits it's not a quick process.

Several organizations, including the Ukrainian Cultural Club on Dallas, are pushing the U.S. to do more.

"I would like at least for family members to be able to come, we can provide them shelter and food," Tatyana Neuner said.

"We are ready to pay for them," Hays said. "Provide housing, food and everything because they're loved ones. Ours."