Housing Trust was a designation in Minnesota law given to organizations that met certain criteria (i.e. certification by the governing body of the municipality, a membership limited to residents of properties and neighborhoods, etc.). Although it was originally intended to give housing trusts special real estate tax treatment for providing housing to low-income earners, such benefits never materialized and soon the designation was removed from Minnesota statutes.

Aeon was founded as Central Community Housing Trust in 1986 as a housing trust, and while the designation is no longer legally significant, it remains part of Aeon's history. Aeon's Board of Directors also adheres to some of its original criteria (i.e. board and membership composition). Most importantly, Aeon takes seriously its community stewardship to sustain forever the quality affordable housing assets it creates.

A Community Development Corporation is a nonprofit organization with the mission of addressing the unfilled development needs in a community. These efforts might include housing development, commercial or economic development, or human development. The CDC movement began on the east coast as a citizen-organized effort to save neighborhoods from continuing deterioration and blight. They often were founded to address housing needs, but many branched out into other areas as well.

Community Housing Development Organization is a federal designation given to organizations that have as one of its purposes the "provision of decent housing that is affordable to low and moderate income people." Recent federal legislation tied to federal funding identified the importance of a community connection in community-building efforts. This led to an establishment of criteria for such connection, and created funding incentives if these criteria are met. An organization meeting the criteria applies to HUD (or its designee) for official designation as a CHDO.